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March 06, 2025, Author and photo taken by JuJu @bipolarenlightened
The Tricky Art of Balance Living with Bipolar Disorder
Living with bipolar disorder can often feel like a constant balancing act between extreme highs and crushing lows. The unpredictability of mood swings can make it difficult to maintain stability in daily life. However, with the right strategies and support, finding balance is possible. Here are some practical tips to help manage bipolar disorder and lead a more stable, fulfilling life.
1. Stick to a Routine. Tuning into your circadian rhythm**.
Circadian rhythms are the body’s natural 24-hour cycles that regulate various physiological processes, including sleep, hormone release, and body temperature. These rhythms are influenced by external cues, such as light and darkness, and are controlled by the brain’s hypothalamus. In individuals with bipolar disorder, the regulation of circadian rhythms is often disrupted, which can contribute to the mood fluctuations characteristic of the condition. Maintaining a structured daily routine helps regulate mood fluctuations. Aim for consistency in your sleep, meals, and daily activities. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time each day, eat balanced meals, and set aside time for relaxation and self-care.
2. Prioritize Sleep Hygiene
Sleep disturbances are a common trigger for mood episodes. Poor sleep can contribute to mania, while excessive sleep might indicate depression. To improve sleep hygiene:
- Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same times daily helps regulate the body’s internal clock. This consistency is particularly important for those with bipolar disorder, as irregular sleep patterns can trigger manic or depressive episodes.
- Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine: Engaging in calming activities before bed, such as reading, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation, can signal to the body that it’s time to wind down.
- Limit Stimulants and Alcohol: Avoid consuming caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol several hours before bedtime. These substances can interfere with sleep quality and disrupt the circadian rhythm.
- Control the Sleep Environment: Make the bedroom a comfortable, quiet, and dark space. Use blackout curtains, earplugs, or a white noise machine to minimize disturbances. A cool, comfortable room temperature is also ideal for sleep.
- Reduce Screen Time: The blue light emitted by phones, tablets, and computers can interfere with melatonin production and disrupt the sleep-wake cycle. Aim to turn off screens at least an hour before bedtime.
3. Monitor Your Mood
Keeping a mood journal or using a mood-tracking app can help you recognize patterns and triggers. Noting sleep quality, stress levels, medications, and daily activities can provide valuable insights into what affects your mood. Monitoring moods is crucial for individuals with bipolar disorder because it helps to detect early signs of mood changes, enabling timely intervention and better management of the condition. Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings, from manic or hypomanic episodes to depressive episodes, and these fluctuations can be unpredictable. Tracking mood patterns allows individuals to identify triggers, warning signs, or shifts in their emotional state before they escalate into full-blown episodes. It not only helps you as an individual, but it helps provide valuable insights for mental health professionals when adjusting medication. If mood patterns suggest that a particular treatment isn’t working or causing side effects, this information can inform more effective treatment decisions.
4. Take Medication as Prescribed
If you’re on medication, consistency is key. Skipping doses or stopping suddenly can lead to mood instability. If you experience side effects, discuss them with your doctor rather than discontinuing medication on your own. Finding the right balance of medications can be tricky in itself, and for some, it can take months and years. Finding the right balance of medications for bipolar disorder is a dynamic, ongoing process that requires patience, self-awareness, and close communication with a healthcare provider. Be open and honest about symptoms, concerns, and side effects with your doctor. Schedule frequent follow-ups to closely monitor what’s working and any side effects that you are experiencing. Moreover, medications alone will not stabilize you. Medications work best when combined with other strategies, such as therapy, regular exercise, a balanced diet, good sleep hygiene, and stress management. These can improve overall mental health and reduce the likelihood of mood swings.
5. Build a Strong Support System
We are social beings. Having a reliable support network of friends, family, or a therapist can make a huge difference. Let your trusted loved ones know how they can support you during difficult times. Communicating about the disorder (having done your research before), and setting boundaries will foster empathy and understanding. And, be clear about the support you need. Ambiguity a lot of times causes confusion, resentment, and misunderstandings.
Support groups can also be a great place to connect with others who understand what you’re going through. Connecting with others who understand bipolar disorder firsthand can be incredibly comforting. Support groups, either in-person or online, allow you to share experiences and coping strategies with others who are going through similar challenges. The shared experiences of others can help reduce feelings of isolation, and you can learn from their journeys. Many people find that being in a group of people who understand what they’re going through offers validation and a sense of community.
Build a supportive consistent routine. Even during difficult times, maintaining regular contact with a small group of trusted people can help you feel grounded. Create a routine of reaching out to a friend or family member, whether through a weekly call, coffee meet-up, or even a text check-in. Regular, informal check-ins with your network can help maintain connection and ensure that you have people to lean on when needed.
Building and maintaining a strong support network when you have bipolar disorder requires effort, honesty, and a willingness to involve others in your journey. With the right people, clear communication, and mutual understanding, your support system can be an invaluable resource for managing bipolar disorder and maintaining a fulfilling life.
6. Practice Stress Management Techniques
Stress is a major trigger for mood episodes. Incorporating relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or journaling into your daily routine can help keep stress levels in check. Another way to help minimize stress is engaging in creative outlets -painting, writing, gardening, or music can be a great way to unwind and relieve stress. Spending time outdoors can be another way to relieve stress. Time spent in nature, whether through hiking, walking or simply sitting outside, has been shown to lower cortisol levels and improve mood, which can reduce stress.
7. Exercise Regularly
Physical activity is a natural mood booster. Whether it’s walking, yoga, hiking, weightlifting, or dancing, movement helps reduce anxiety and depression while promoting overall well-being. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. Exercise will also help with your sleep hygiene. Just don’t exercise too close to sleep time as it can be energizing.
8. Maintain a Balanced Diet
Nutrition plays an important role in mental health. Eating a diet rich in whole foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates can help stabilize mood. Avoid excessive sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, as they can contribute to mood swings.
Final Thoughts
Like me, you might find this list exhausting. But, managing bipolar disorder is an ongoing process so it’s important to be kind to yourself in this rocky journey. There will be ups and downs, wobbles and falls, but self-compassion is essential, and don’t give up. Avoid self-criticism and celebrate small victories. Living with bipolar disorder presents unique challenges, but with the right tools and support, balance is achievable. By prioritizing self-care, maintaining structure, and seeking help ( a strength, not a weakness) when needed, you can create a life that feels more stable and fulfilling. If you or someone you love is struggling with bipolar disorder, reach out for help—whether it’s a trusted friend, a therapist, or a support group. You are not alone, and with the right strategies, finding the tricky balance is possible.
**Merikangas, K. R., & Akiskal, H. S. (2007)**. This study highlights the impact of circadian rhythms on mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, emphasizing the importance of sleep patterns in managing symptoms. You can find it in “Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry.”
**Harvard Medical School (2009)**. The resource discusses how disruptions in circadian rhythms can influence the onset of mania and depression in bipolar patients. Their research encompasses the connection between sleep disorders and mood disorders.
**Andrews, P. W., & Thomson, J. A. (2009)**. This research explores the role of biological rhythms in mood disorders, indicating that misalignment of circadian rhythms can contribute to the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. You might find it in journals like “Psychological Review.”
**Miller, A. H., & Raison, C. L. (2015)**. Their work reviews the interplay between circadian biology and mood disorders, detailing the links between sleep, circadian disruption, and bipolar disorder. Published in “Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience” could be a good resource.
June 17, 2024, Author JuJu @bipolarenlightened
How I Gained 30lbs on Antipsychotic Medications
“You are so fat, and ugly”, so said my mental abuser via text message after he saw me at the peak of weight gain from medication. I know he wanted to hurt me, but it couldn’t help but hurt when those words are what you tell yourself as you stand on a scale and see yourself in the mirror every day. I was always thin by nature. There was one point where I had gotten grossly thin from not sleeping and eating during a stressful time in my life. Those stressful times were more often than not, and I wasn’t on any psychotropic medications back then, so keeping the pounds off was never a problem. Even in the beginning years of switching between medications, weight gain side effects didn’t exist because I wasn’t on high dosages, or the medications kept changing monthly, or week after week. The early medications were never in my system long enough to have such depressing side effects like weight gain. It was not until I had one of the worst psychosis with mania episodes that I was in and out of four different hospitals where I was prescribed monthly injections to stabilize me. While in those four different hospitals, there were so many medication changes, that I don’t recall what they all were.
So, when I was finally discharged from the last hospital, my outpatient psychiatrist prescribed an injection form of ____* due to the severity of my episode, and to stabilize me. The positives of injections are that you can’t forget to get your medication, and the speed at which they work in your system is a lot faster than what I had experienced before with all the different pill forms.** This is not to say that pills don’t work for many people with mental illnesses, they just seem to not work for me, as I kept relapsing because they took too long to work, or it wasn’t the right medication dosage, or it was so easy to forget taking them. Nonetheless, I was very grateful to be prescribed a solution to stabilize me.
Unfortunately, the stabilization came with a horrible side effect: Massive Weight Gain. Now, it did increase my appetite, but remember, I was grossly thin, so some weight gain and appetite were welcomed, but I kid you not, every time (every month) for six months I would get the injection, the next few days the scale would increase 5 lbs. So, in less than 6 months, I gained 30 lbs. I kept on telling myself it would be okay since I was stable from psychosis and mania, but then I noticed that the depression from gaining so much weight was starting to take a toll.
I tried everything to lose weight. I went on a Keto diet. Intermediate fasting. Fasting. Mediterranean Diet. Counting Calories. Counting Calories with Keto Diet. Nothing but a peanut butter and keto jam on keto bread sandwich, diet. I mean, I became obsessed with reading and researching diet plans convinced that somehow there had to be a way to lose weight on medication. But to no avail, I kept gaining weight after every injection. It was demoralizing. Just like I had come to the radical acceptance that I was Bipolar, did I have to come to the radical acceptance that weight gain was my new normal?
*I am choosing to not disclose medication names because all medications work differently for everyone. What worked for me, will not neccessarily work for you, what didn’t work for me, could work for you, and these blogs are not medication commercials. **I am not a physician. Please consult your physician or psychiatrist on medication reccomendations. I’m only writing from my own experience.
February 22nd, 2025, Author JuJu @ bipolarenlightened
How I lost 30 lbs while on Antipsychotic Medications
After gaining thirty pounds on antipsychotic medications, I was able to lose it over eight months. My doctor slowly weened me off of one injection (that was causing the weight gain), and onto another. Thankfully, the new injection didn’t add on five pounds every time I received the treatment. However, I gained thirty pounds, and it was taking a toll on my body. Due to the weight gain, I strained and hurt my lower back. My bones and muscles were not used to the added weight. This limited any body movement. My primary physician also noticed that my injections were doing something with my insulin levels, therefore the weight gain.
I also tried every diet I could research and realized I was starting to obsess about weight gain and dieting. My therapist raised her concern about potentially turning all the dieting into an eating disorder, so I decided to stop. The dieting wasn’t helping, and it was only making me more depressed. My doctor recommended I take weight loss medication for the weight gain. I tried it because I knew the weight gain was because of medications. I noticed a slight difference in weight loss, about five pounds initially, and it gave me the little boost and motivation I needed to find the true solution to losing all the weight I gained.
Weight loss medication alone didn’t help me lose all the weight. My therapist told me about having certain rhythms when Bipolar: A sleep rhythm, social rhythm, and exercise rhythm. Exercising and movement of the body was critical to helping me lose weight and for my Bipolar. I’m not one to like a lot of cardio and I was still nursing my lower back, so I decided to take up Yoga, hiking, and walking as studies have shown these types of exercises were positive contributors to mental health. I noticed the pounds dropping, but then it plateaued. I was trying to also figure out my social rhythm, and thought getting out of the house, and taking yoga classes, aerobic and strength training classes would kill two birds with one stone. It worked. The pounds continued to drop, and I made a few acquaintances while at it.
Meanwhile, I also drank a lot of water every day. A LOT of water. I took my body weight, divided that by half and that’s how many ounces of water I drank every day. I added lemon to give it some flavor as I always had a hard time drinking water. Dropping the sugary drinks I think helped drop the caloric intake every day. Drinking a lot of water also helped reduce the amount of food I would eat because of the sensation of fullness.
When it came to food, I decided to just watch what I ate. I stuck to a lot of salads, veggies, fish, and lean protein. I did eat some fruit as I noticed it helped with my fiber intake and sweet tooth. I tried to be mindful of not only what I ate, but how much I ate. I tried my best to stay away from sugar, but an occasional scoop of ice cream didn’t do me any harm, especially the low carb ice cream. It required not just one thing like weight loss medication, but a holistic approach to losing weight.
Now, did my Bipolar symptoms get better? I really can’t say it did. Some days were still good, and others bad. But, it did help with the depression of the weight gain. For me, stress is a big trigger with my Bipolar, but that’s for another Blog topic. I did go through antipsychotic medication adjustments recently, and I gained ten pounds in one month, so I was placed back on the weight loss medication, and it did help again. So, there is no judgement here if you need medications to lose weight. You have to talk to your doctor and figure out a plan. Many people stop taking their antipsychotic medications because of the horrible side effects like weight gain, and then eventually experience more Bipolar symptoms. It becomes a vicious roller coaster.
Keeping the weight off is still unknown as I have decided that my mental health came first before weight gain or loss, so another medication adjustment could cause me to gain weight again. Nonetheless, I hope my tips and story on how I lost weight while on Antipsychotic medications can help you on your journey.
November 8th, 2023, Author JuJu @ bipolarenlightened
Loved Ones of Those with Mental Illness and Abandonment
It’s my son’s birthday today. My first and only son. A key motivator on this path and journey of mental health stability. Although my journey has been a difficult one, with several stints in hospitals and treatment centers, a plethora of medication changes (I’ve lost count) with weight gain, a few paramount mania and psychosis episodes, and several different diagnoses, we forget at times the suffering and struggles of our loved ones who suffer as well, especially children.
There are countless stories of families that felt they had to abandon their ill loved one. But, children (youth) don’t get a choice in leaving their sick parents. Husbands or wives can divorce their ill spouse. Adult siblings can abandon their ill siblings, and there are even stories of parents abandoning their adult children. But young children don’t get to leave their mentally ill parents. This reality of abandonment is a complex and challenging paradox within mental illness because when a person usually receives a physical illness, like cancer, families are typically brought together, not torn apart.
Mental illness is a disease that has daily living repercussions. The past trauma, or simply thinking of the past for those with genetic predispositions, is wrought with depression, driving them not to be able to live in the present or the daily tasks of living. While also thinking of the future bodes anxiety, fear, stress, and panic attacks (I’ve had several of my own. They are not fun.), so being in the present, living and stable with loved ones while mentally ill is a challenge. The journey of seeking stability or remission from mental illness can be very taxing for loved ones to cope with. But, abandonment further drives depression and anxiety, which further drives the severity of the mental illness—a vicious cycle. Abandonment can also come from the mentally ill themselves, where they push themselves away from society and loved ones because there is such a stigma on mental health and so much shame.
Although I am so grateful to have my son as a motivating factor to be in a stable state with my mental illness, not everyone can even reach that point of having motivation. But, I’m convinced that if there wasn’t so much stigma and so much shame in having a mental illness, more preventive measures, awareness, empathy, and compassion would ensue as it does for cancer patients and their loved ones. When there is more understanding of the different diagnoses and awareness of the behavior that occurs from them, I believe abandonment will become less of an issue. Help and community would become the norm, not isolation, shame, and abandonment. I am grateful for my son, who couldn’t abandon me but didn’t abandon me from his heart and mind. Despite all that we went through these past few years, he still tells me I am the world’s best mother. If only the world could give the mentally ill unconditional love like that.
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