Coping and managing your life with Bipolar does not have to be more complicated than necessary. However, we must pay attention to the symptoms of Bipolar that can create unnecessary stressors in our lives that cause a Bipolar Binge.
We know that Bipolar is a chemical imbalance of the brain that has two polars. One is the depression polar which causes us to sink into a deep depression lasting days at a time and even weeks at a time. This is when we may experience suicidal thoughts or just can't get out of bed or have crying spells or very low energy.
The flip side, of course, is the mania side. This is where we may feel very powerful or believe we are very rich. This is the dangersous side I am thinking about today while I looked at all those junk mails in my mail box. Smile. Boy, if only I could afford to build that house I'm staring at. (laughing).
Anyway, there is a lot of danger when we do not take our medications and stick to a wellness plan when Mania hits. During the mania period or "episode," persons may go on shopping sprees that create all sorts of problems by the time the mania episode has ended. In my book, "Cooling Well Water: A Collection of Work By An African-American Bipolar Woman" ISBN 13 978-9754612-0-4, I share with readers my binge behavior during a manic episode and what steps I took to prevent it from occurring again.
The scariest thing about a manic episode is that we really, really believe we are that rich person or powerful person. We then do what a rich person or powerful person would do. We may order people in public around who look at us like we're crazy or we shop like crazy! Then we have to deal with the consequences when the mania is over.
So, let's look at how to avoid Bipolar binging. Bipolar binging is shopping recklessly while having a manic episode. We might not even remember doing so, but it is a costly phase of living with the Bipolar diagnosis. In an article written by Malinda Gibbons-Gwyn, in Emotional Health Today at
http://www.everydayhealth.com/bipolar-diso... we can learn some simple ways to avoid Bipolar binging and they are:
1) Maintain your treatment schedule. If you are living with untreated Bipolar, you are more than likely living unnecessarily with drama over finances, relationship issues, and personal stress and anxiety because the mania is out of control. If you have a treatment schedule, stick to it no matter what!;
Dr. Jair Soares, MD urges that we maintain consistent treatment of the Bipolar Disorder and I don't mind sharing with you that your quality of life will significantly improve when you have consistent Bipolar treatment. This will include medication and talk therapy of some form.
2) Maintain your health with daily exercise and eating healthy! Even though some medications cause side affects such as weight gain, we should really try to maintain an optimal weight, avoid binge eating, avoid alcohol and drugs. We should also get enough sleep. In "Cooling Well Water: A Collection of Work By An African-American Bipolar Woman" ISBN 13 978-9754612-0-4 I discuss the importance of taking naps and spending quiet time in commune with God. The point here is to allow the mind to rest because external stimuli affects the brain disorder.
3) Maintain a wellness plan! I cannot emphasize this step enough. It is so, so important to living your best life with Bipolar. Dr. Gina L. Moore-Sanders of Ariafya LLC is an excellent resource for developing your wellness plan or receiving mental health coaching at
www.Ariafya.com. Your wellness plan is a personal blueprint for your success! Don't you deserve to accomplish a peaceful lifestyle by minimizing the affects of Bipolar as much as possible?
Every wellness plan should look different from the next person's because we each are different from another person. However, there are some basic commonalities for any wellness plan. One is to incorporate a financial piece into the wellness plan to plan for Bipolar Binging safeguards. The plan should include consulting with a trusted family member or friend ahead of time and agree to some type of limit on spending daily. For example, you can agree in your wellness plan that you will not spend more than $50 on any given day without discussing it with your family member or friend beforehand. Having this in writing really does make a difference when you review your welness plan frequently and talk about your progress with your support team.
Your wellness plan should have a person who monitors your spending so that it is quickly noticeable if you slip into a Bipolar binge. This can be done painlessly and perhaps on a monthly basis. However, you decide on the frequency and who will do what.
This is not something to be ashamed about when you realize that money management is important to anybody's success and mental wellness. This is merely living on a budget like a married couple would do when planning for goals such as vacations, purchasing a home, etc. Couples regularly consult with each other about major purchases so there is no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed or reluctant to manage your financial life as a part of your wellness plan.
4) Nothing in life for anybody is carved in stone. Therefore, there will be times when you will mismanage your money due to a Bipolar binge. When this happens, according to Malinda Gibbons-Gwyn, recognize it right away and take full responsibility for the binge! Apologize for breaking the wellness plan and discuss and plan for ways to repair the harm done realistically. Then get back on track immediately without continuously dwelling over the binge!
5) Recognize the reality of a Bipolar Binge. A reality of this is the consequence of anxiety, depression, arguements, debt, and poverty!
While all of this might seem overwhelming to some, the best way for me when I began developing my wellness plan was to set one small personal goal. Then I began to build upon that personal goal one step at a time. I learned to cope and manage my Bipolar diagnosis over time slowly and as a result of coping and managing the Bipolar, I learned to budget my income. What a double reward ~ sanity and financial stability. The struggle for me is not to binge when Bipolar has nothing to do with it...Smile....(this house really is awesome!:))
How do you currently cope and manage Bipolar binges? Now that we understand how Bipolar and binging happen and how they harm us, here are some simple tips to maintain financial sanity and peace and these can be included in your wellness plan:
-- Take a class on financial planning and set a small goal that requires you to save
a few dollars each month;
-- Develop a wellness plan with a support team (see,
www.Ariafya.com); -- Keep only one credit card with a low credit limit;
-- Allow one support team member to monitor your finances/accounts;
-- If you need more help avoiding binges, join a group such as Debtors
Anonymous or Gamblers Anonymous.
Agnes B. Levine is the Author of the book, "Cooling Well Water: A Collection of Work By An African-American Bipolar Woman" ISBN 13 978-9754612-0-4.
Order your copy TODAY at
www.amazon.com
Posted By: agnes levine
Tuesday, June 16th 2009 at 2:34PM
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