Bipolar Self-Care Tips
Practicing self-care can lead to personal growth.
This blog post comes from one of our group’s wonderful hosts and leaders, Yvonne.
The notion of self- care is all of the rage these days. I consider it a positive trend but it can be overwhelming to someone that struggles with bipolar disorder, or any other mental illness. Adding just one more thing to your to-do list can feel like too much, especially for those struggling each day just to complete basic tasks.
When you struggle with bipolar disorder, each and every day can feel different. It’s very hard to predict daily moods, at least it is for me. Adding more tasks to my to-do list, such as self-care, can feel like added pressure but it doesn’t have to feel that way. It can feel healing, empowering, and comforting.
When your mood is often all over the place and life gets chaotic, self-care is one of those things that definitely falls by the wayside. There are days and weeks in which I consider it a triumph that I manage to feed and clothe myself properly. I’m personally quite stable currently so I do come at this topic from that viewpoint. When you are in the midst of bipolar mania or depression, the most simple basic tasks can feel impossible.
While medication is what mostly keeps me stable, lifestyle changes also help. I find that when I practice self-care, my life runs much more smoothly and it just helps me feel better. I believe that taking the time to care for myself is vital to my well-being. Self-care is more than sheet masks and manicures, although that can absolutely be part of your self-care routine, it is for me. The following are a few ways that I practice self-care as part of mental health care.
Triggering the Positive
One thing that I don’t see talked about enough, and especially not in the context of self-care is positive triggers. These can be so important when wading through a depressive time. I try to incorporate positive triggers into my life on a regular basis. That is especially the case when I’m in a depressive bipolar mood episode.
The exact triggers will be uniquely personal. I personally enjoy swimming and being around water in general. I know that it will always make me feel uplifted, even at the worst of times. When I can’t swim, I make a point of driving out to a nearby lake or river and spend a little time there. Nature is a positive trigger for a lot of people but depending on the time of year, it’s not as accessible in some climates.
Sometimes the trigger can be edible! While following a healthy way of eating is ideal, I find that allowing myself a few edible triggers to be quite helpful to me. I tend to use those times to visit my favorite restaurants, usually Thai or Indian, and get my favorite meals. It can mean buying some fancy tea and sipping on it. That feeling of treating yourself and triggering the positive can be so fun and so positive for moods.
Medication Management
This is certainly the most fun or exciting act of self-care but it’s a crucial one for me. For the most part, people with bipolar disorder are on some kind of medication cocktail. It’s difficult to treat and we often need multiple medications to treat the myriad of symptoms. It’s not static, medications and dosages are switched up often, at least until you find your perfect cocktail. Ensuring that you get your proper medication each day to stay mentally well is a perfect form of self-care.
Quite frankly, I take a lot of pills. I not only take medication for bipolar disorder, but I am also being treated for generalized anxiety disorder, ADHD, and insomnia. I could not live without my giant pill case. I fill it up once per week no matter what. I use one that has a section for morning and one for the evening. There are a lot of options available, just choose the one that works best for you. Also, keep that large pill case right where you can see it. Seeing the pill case is a reminder for me to take my medication. I keep mine right on the nightstand next to my bed so I can’t miss it. Out of sight is out of mind!
Another way that I manage my medication is to keep track of how many refills are left for each medication. This form of self-care can feel tedious but it’s so much better than the sheer panic that you feel when you realize that you’re about to run out of medication with no refills left. I keep track of the refills, how much of each medication that I have left, and the timing of my next psychiatrist appointment. That way if I need to see my psychiatrist sooner because I’m low on medication, I can go ahead and schedule that.
Feed your Mind
While I watch plenty of television, my favorite way to feed my mind is through books. Books and reading have been a passion for me since as soon as I could read. I always have a book going and it’s my way of practicing self-care. If you are not a book reader, audiobooks can also be a good option. That’s my favorite way of feeding my mind but there are a whole lot of other options.
Another way of feeding your mind means practicing art in one way or another, learning a new language, taking up knitting, or a hobby that is meaningful to you. There are also plenty of sites with low-cost classes, such as Udemy or Skillshare, that you can do in your own time at your own pace.
As an aside, those of us with bipolar disorder often find ourselves beginning projects but not finishing them. Both mania and depression can cause that to happen. It’s important not to beat yourself up about it if that’s the case. You don’t need to do a hobby for many years to benefit from it. Learning a new skill contributes to personal growth and is good for the brain.
Speed Declutter
I’m currently the co-organizer for a bipolar support group so I spend a fair bit of time with other bipolar people. Cleaning and maintaining a home is a very common struggle for many of us with mental health issues. It can feel utterly overwhelming just getting started and seeing through the decluttering and cleaning process.
Now, starting on some Herculean decluttering projects is not often feasible and can feel so overwhelming that you never get around to doing it. Instead, try speed decluttering! Simply grab two garbage bags, one for donation items, and one for garbage.
Make it as easy as just starting with one room. Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes and sort through your items quickly, starting in one corner of the room and making your way around the room in a clockwise manner, getting rid of things you don’t need or want anymore. Even if you don’t finish with fully decluttering the room, stop when the timer goes off.
At this point, I generally feel motivated enough to continue. I set the timer for 10 minutes more and continue until it’s done. But it’s perfectly fine to stop there. You can declutter multiple rooms per day using this method, or simply one room, one day per week. Either way, it feels like an accomplishment and is a great mood boost.
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder almost exactly 10 years ago. Managing this illness feels like a full-time job at times. However, these are acts of self-care that I do to help stay stable, keep life in order, and bring me joy.