Staying Well with Bi-polar Disorder-part Two

You have been diagnosed with bi-poler disorder. Here are some simple tips for staying well. Take your medicine, practise healthy habits, watch for symptoms,, stay in touch with your doctor.

Living with bi-polar disorder may be a challenge. There are simple measures that can help. Eat well. Get exercise, and reduce stress.

The above advise can improve your mood. It can also help prevent other health risks.  People with bi-polar disorder often have other illnesses. Some suffer from drug and alcohol abuse, diabetes, and obesity. Others have migraines, high cholesterol or attention problems. Others have severe anxiety and eating disorders. One thing for sure if you are bi-polar you have a higher than normal risk of heart disease.

Risks you cannot change: being over 45, having a family history of heart disease. Risks you can change: High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, certain medicines, lack of exercise, overweight, smoking. Your best bet is to get a complete physical and blood panel work up. A lot of medicines can reduce some of the risks. You have to do the rest. Don’t pile on the food. Don’t snack. Walk when you can for at least 20 minutes. Limit sugar and caffeine. Caffeine disrupts sleep. Drops in sugar levels make you edgy and irritable. All these things complicate your mood disorder. When you exercise do it early in the morning. You sleep better at night. Exercise is a way of dealing with stress. Blood sugar control helps mood swings. Loosing weight improves your over-all sense of well being. Drinks lots of water.

Staying calm! This is a big problem for those with bi-polar illness. Staying calm is being in control. Here are some tips for a calmer life.

Write things down. Don’t rely on memory alone. Make a list of daily tasks. Keep notes on what you say or hear on the phone or at meetings.

Decide the time of day you are at your best. Tackle the tough jobs then. After lunch do less demanding things.

Don’t over-load your days. Allow time between meetings, classes, chores to take a time out. Close your eyes and clear your mind.

If faced with a large workload tackle it in chunks. Have someone help you decide what is most important and start there.

Ways to unwind: relaxing is vital to health. Inner calm is a defense against an agitated mind and helps your immune system as well.

Try deep breathing. Join a class on meditation. Try muscle flexes. Tighten a group of muscles then release. Try another group. Peaceful thoughts in a reflective atmosphere. Picture you are at the beach breathing in the fresh air. Listen to the waves. Breath slowly in and out. There are meditation and calming tapes and Cd’s you can purchase.

Keep a daily routine. Social rhythms are patterns that keep your body on a schedule. If you are bi-polar a disruption in daily routine may affect mood. Keep a mental or written eye on that. Changes in routines, reactions to others, and sleep routines may indicate an episode is on the way. Alert you doctor.

Develop regular sleep patterns. Avoid oversleeping. Do not exercise before going to bed. Avoid chocolate, coffee, sugar, alcohol and tobacco before bed.

Get regular medical checkups.

One very important thing to remember. Even if you feel great DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR MEDICATION. This is the area where most bi-polar people get into trouble. Medication compliance. The other area is DO NOT TAKE MORE ME-DS THAN ORDERED. Bubble packs are handy for people who have real trouble taking me-ds on time in proper amounts. Medication must be taken at the proper time to be effective and not cause a reverse reaction. Make sure your doctor knows about other medications you are taking. This includes alcohol.

Stick with your treatment plan and check with your doctor or nurse if problems arise. Discuss nutrition. Your doctor may refer you to a nutritionist. They are a big help. Remember you are not alone. I do recommend a support group to help you adjust to the fact that there are many others with similar symptoms.

The third article in this series is aimed at the significant people in your life and how they can adjust and live with your disorder in a loving way. Let them know!