McMan's Eight-fold Path to Living Well

My colleague at BipolarConnect, GJ Gregory, in a recent blog posted a list of six crucial strategies he employs to manage his illness, which I strongly urge you to read. GJ got me thinking about MY strategies, which largely overlap with his, which in turn largely overlap with those of “successful patients” I have talked to over the years. For managing my own illness, I regard each one of the following as every bit as important, if not more so, than the meds I take:

Knowledge is Necessity.

Studies have found that “expert patients” who put in the effort to learn about their illness and actively manage it have far better outcomes than “passive patients.” Everything about managing our illness – from establishing good working partnerships with our clinicians to how we choose to lead our lives - depends on our willingness to educate ourselves.

Personal note: With this blog, an email newsletter, a website, and a book, “Knowledge is Necessity” is my mission. I learn as I write.

Mindfulness

Several years ago, Melbourne researcher Sarah Russell, Ph.D surveyed 100 “successful patients” with bipolar. What they told her essentially boiled down to “mindfulness.” In the context of our illness, this involves being microscopically attuned to subtle shifts in our moods and energy levels and behaviors. We need to pick these up before our clinicians do, or our friends and family.

For instance, if you spot yourself sleeping less or getting angry more, you need to do something about it right away, while the situation is manageable, before your mind spirals out of control. Often, the solution may be as simple as “stopping to smell the roses” or getting a good night’s sleep.

Personal note: For me, mindfulness is the ultimate mood stabilizer.

Avoiding and Managing Stress

The brain in crisis or overload is probably the greatest risk factor for a mood episode. With mindfulness techniques, we can often avoid stress before it eventuates, or manage the stress we can’t avoid. This is where a whole range of personal coping skills comes into play, from learning to substitute erroneous thoughts with rational ones, to developing better interpersonal skills, to finding ways to gain control over your life, to learning how to relax.

Personal note: I will not hesitate to take a day off if I feel stress is getting to me.

Good Sleep is Crucial

Sometimes I am convinced that sleep is the main illness and that the mood disorder is the downstream effect. The one ironclad statement I can make about our illness is this: If you struggle with your sleep, you are certain to be struggling with your illness. Stick to a daily routine and a regular sleep schedule, and practice good sleep hygiene

Personal Note: One bad night’s sleep turns me into Satan. You definitely don’t want to know me in this situation.

You Are What You Eat

There is no one right diet, but there are millions of bad ones. The excessive sugars and saturated fats in our diets set us up for everything from sharp mood and energy swings to mental sluggishness, jitters, low self-esteem, to medical complications galore. A 20-oz Coke contains the equivalent of 15 teaspoons of sugar. And you wonder why kids bounce off the walls at school.