Bipolar Disorder Forum | Bipolar Disorder Discussions

Thank-you very much, you are very supportive. It's good to have sites like this. My family needs just as much education because I find it helps a bit when they tell me when I'm manic,  it's hard for me to tell myself because my thoughts race so much...lol. One thing the specialists told me to do is write down everything that stresses me out because the could be triggers, or if thats hard I can keep sort of like a journal and write down what happened before an episode (I'll be on meds sometime this week so...) and see if I can find a trigger in that. When I get a therapist and/or psychologist and stuff they said that I could work on that with them. I know though, that stress is a BIG trigger, depending on what kind. If it's a stress that makes me mad it ends up triggering me into Mania, and if it's a stressor that makes me sad, then I get depressed. Sometimes it really confuses me....lol.

*Nikki*

Last edited by Nikki2291 (2008-06-23 17:21:03)

Yea that is very true, i love this forum already...lol...

*Nikki*

Hi Nikki,

I just joined this forum too, and I recently moved away from Nova Scotia (I was living in Halifax).

I suspect belonging to an online forum like this will be useful.  I also found it great to join a bipolar support group, something I did when I moved out west.  It "normalizes" the disorder and makes you realize you're not alone.

I look forward to sharing stories and information here!  I should post my own new member intro as well.

James

Thanks!  I don't want to derail Nikki's thread, but perhaps this could be useful information for her as well.

The group I was in had about 8 members + spouses or family members.  We shared stories, discussed experiences, biases that we've found or heard regarding bipolar disorder, etc.

We also practised breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and used a log to track mood changes and medication.  A pharmacist came in to speak to us about meds, and a great deal of time was used to analyze our own thought processes and encourage positive self-talk, since someone who is bipolar tends to have two negative thoughts for every single positive thought.

I have become close friends with one guy from the group, and we hang out often.  As he said, it doesn't matter if we're discussing mental health issues or not, it's just great to hang out with someone who is the same and understands what it's like to be bipolar.