1. I feel a bit sad for myself and upset and worried and lonely and scared and bummed out and pissed and…… you get the idea.
2. I ALWAYS look for a trigger. If I can find the trigger, I change the trigger. This is always upsetting because my trigger is usually doing too much work and I LOVE to work.
3. If it’s depression, I do everything possible to stay out of bed and keep myself from isolating. I use the ideas in Get it Done When You’re Depressed ever minute I’m depressed. There are a lot of ideas in this book that work immediately and I truly use them.
4. If it’s mania, I work on my sleep first. If I can’t get it to calm down with my management plan, I take 5mg of lithium orotate and that often knocks is out.
I HATE getting sick. But it’s ok. I will survive. I stop it early now. I am so much better than in the past.
I have to adapt to the hand that life deals me.
Julie
So smart to have a plan BEFORE the symptoms start. Having a routine and an action plan have made a huge difference for me.
I can usually predict a mood swing based on my sleep schedules. As a mom I’m lucky to get 7 hours of sleep but the feeling of needing more sleep fluctuates greatly. If I go through a significant mood swing it usually lasts for about 12 days. If I go a little manic then I usually only need about 2-3 hours of sleep before I’m wide awake and my mind is racing and wanting to work. I have a prescription for Xanax which greatly helps with sleep and reduces the anxiety/urgency of the manic phase. I like this prescription as I can take it as needed instead of everyday. I’d like to note though that even though this works for me it is an addictive drug so its very important to be vigilant about how and when you take it. The most beneficial thing I have ever done is to journal and chart my mood swings and sleep schedules. Sometimes I keep my logs and my journal separate as one is more for evaluation and one is for release. Being able to predict a mood swing can help me prepare gives me time to set up “feel good” activities and mindfulness that’ll help me get through the down phases. The