Bipolar4LifeSupport

A person with bipolar disorder will experience changes in mood, energy, and activity levels that can make day-to-day living difficult.

Bipolar disorder can cause severe disruption to a person’s life, but the impact varies between individuals. With appropriate treatment and support, many people with this condition live a full and productive life. 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), bipolar disorder affects over 10 million people in the United States or around 2.8% of the population.

On average, a person will receive a diagnosis around the age of 25 years, but symptoms can appear during the teenage years or later in life. It affects males and females equally.https://a4905315d31fb9e5c377fa3838bb8076.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

What is bipolar disorder?

Share on PinterestA person with bipolar disorder may experience “highs” and “lows” in quick succession.

The National Institute of Mental Health describe the main symptoms of bipolar disorder as alternating episodes of high and low mood. Changes in energy levels, sleep patterns, ability to focus, and other features can dramatically impact a person’s behavior, work, relationships, and other aspects of life.

Most people experience mood changes at some time, but those related to bipolar disorder are more intense than regular mood changes, and other symptoms can occur. Some people experience psychosis, which can include delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia.

Between episodes, the person’s mood may be stable for months or years, especially if they are following a treatment plan. 

Treatment enables many people with bipolar disorder to work, study, and live a full and productive life. However, when treatment helps a person feel better, they may stop taking their medication. Then, the symptoms can return.

Some aspects of bipolar disorder can make a person feel good. During an elevated mood, they may find they are more sociable, talkative, and creativeTrusted Source. 

However, an elevated mood is unlikely to persist. Even if it does, it may be hard to sustain attention or follow through with plans. This can make it difficult to follow a project through to the end.

Symptoms

According to the International Bipolar Association, symptoms vary between individuals. For some people, an episode can last for several months or years. Others may experience “highs” and “lows” at the same time or in quick succession. 

In “rapid cycling” bipolar disorder, the person will have four or more episodes within a year.

Mania or hypomania

Hypomania and mania are elevated moods. Mania is more intense than hypomania. 

Symptoms can include:

• impaired judgment
• feeing wired
• sleeping little but not feeling tired
• a sense of distraction or boredom
• missing work or school
• underperforming at work or school
• feeling able to do anything
• being sociable and forthcoming, sometimes aggressively so
• engaging in risky behavior
• increased libido
• feeling exhilarated or euphoric
• having high levels of self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-importance
• talking a lot and rapidly
• jumping from one topic to another in conversation
• having “racing” thoughts that come and go quickly, and bizarre ideas that the person may act upon
• denying or not realizing that anything is wrong

Some people with bipolar disorder may spend a lot of money, use recreational drugs, consume alcohol, and participate in dangerous and inappropriate activities. 

For more on the differences between mania and hypomania, click here.

What are the early signs of bipolar disorder in children and teens?

Depressive symptoms

During an episode of bipolar depression, a person may experience:

• a feeling of gloom, despair, and hopelessness
• extreme sadness
• insomnia and sleeping problems
• anxiety about minor issues
• pain or physical problems that do not respond to treatment
• a sense of guilt, which may be misplaced
• eating more or eating less
• weight loss or weight gain
• extreme tiredness, fatigue, and listlessness
• an inability to enjoy activities or interests that usually give pleasure
• difficulty focusing and remembering
• irritability
• sensitivity to noises, smells, and other things that others may not notice
• an inability to face going to work or school, possibly leading to underperformance

In severe cases, the individual may think about ending their life, and they may act on those thoughts.

Suicide prevention

If you know someone at immediate risk of self-harm, suicide, or hurting another person:

• Ask the tough question: “Are you considering suicide?”
• Listen to the person without judgment.
• Call 911 or the local emergency number, or text TALK to 741741 to communicate with a trained crisis counselor.
• Stay with the person until professional help arrives.
• Try to remove any weapons, medications, or other potentially harmful objects.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, a prevention hotline can help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours per day at 800-273-8255. During a crisis, people who are hard of hearing can call 800-799-4889.

Click here for more links and local resources.

Is it bipolar disorder or depression? Find out more.

Psychosis

If a “high” or “low” episode is very intense, the person may experience psychosis. They may have trouble differentiating between fantasy and reality.

According to the International Bipolar Foundation, psychosis symptoms during a high include hallucinations, which involve hearing or seeing things that are not there and delusions, which are false but strongly felt beliefs. A person who experiences delusions may believe they are famous, have high-ranking social connections, or have special powers.

During a depressive or “low” episode, they may believe they have committed a crime or are ruined and penniless.

It is possible to manage all these symptoms with appropriate treatment.

Bipolar disorder can also affect memory. Learn more here.https://a4905315d31fb9e5c377fa3838bb8076.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.htmlADVERTISEMENTTry a top-rated app for meditation and sleep

Experience 100+ guided meditations with Calm’s award-winning meditation app. Designed for all experience levels, and available when you need it most in your day. Start your free trial today.START FREE TRIAL

Types of bipolar disorder

A person may receive a diagnosis of one of three broad types of bipolar disorder. According to NAMI, symptoms occur on a spectrum, and the distinction between the types is not always clear-cut.

Bipolar I disorder

For a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder:

• The individual must have experienced at least one manic episode.
• The person may have had a previous major depressive episode.
• The doctor must rule out other disorders, such as schizophrenia and delusional disorder.

Bipolar II disorder

Bipolar II disorder involves periods of hypomania, but depression is often the dominant state.

For a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder, a person must have had: 

• one or more episodes of depression
• at least one hypomanic episode
• no other diagnosis to explain the mood shifts

A person with hypomania may feel good and function well, but their mood will not be stable, and there is a risk that depression will follow. 

People sometimes think of bipolar II disorder as a milder version. For many, however, it is simply different. As NAMI indicate, people with bipolar II disorder may experience more frequent episodes of depression than people with bipolar I disorder.

Cyclothymia

The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom note that cyclothymia has similar features to bipolar disorder, but the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) classifies it separately. It involves hypomania and depression, but the changes are less intense.

Nevertheless, cyclothymia can impact a person’s daily life, and a doctor can provide treatment.

Learn more about the bipolar spectrum.ADVERTISINGnullnull

Diagnosis

A medical professional will diagnose bipolar disorder using criteria set out in the DSM-5.

The National Institue of Mental Health (NIMH) explain that in order to receive a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, a person must have had symptoms for at least 7 days, or less if symptoms were severe enough to need hospitalization. They may also have had a depressive episode lasting at least 2 weeks.

To receive a diagnosis of bipolar II, a person will have experienced at least one cycle of hypomania and depression. 

A doctor may carry out a physical examination and some diagnostic tests, including blood and urine tests, to help rule out other causes. 

It can be challenging for a doctor to diagnose bipolar disorder, as people are more likely to seek help with a low mood than a high mood. As a result, it can be hard for them to distinguish it from depression.

If the person has psychosis, a doctor may misdiagnose their condition as schizophrenia. 

Other complications that may occur with bipolar disorder are:

• use of drugs or alcohol to cope with symptoms
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• anxiety disorder
• attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

NIMH urge healthcare providers to look for signs of mania in the person’s history, to prevent misdiagnosis. Some antidepressants can trigger mania in susceptible people.

A person who receives a diagnosis of bipolar disorder has a lifelong diagnosis. They may enjoy long periods of stability, but they will always live with the condition.

Affirmations are inspirational, positive statements you say or think about yourself. Saying daily affirmations helps reprogram our negative self-talk so we can manifest more positive thinking, feeling and experiences in our lives. Use these powerful affirmations by Hay House authors like Louise Hay to enhance your life today!

If you would like to build your self-esteem, remember to love yourself daily.

Many people don’t practice building self-esteem daily because they don’t realize that it’s something that they can learn to do, no matter what experiences they have had in life.

The key to starting the process is to recognize that self-esteem, self-love, self-worth—whatever you feel drawn to calling it—is a seed that grows if you water it.

How do you begin to grow your self-esteem? You start by recognizing that you deserve to be loved. You deserve to love yourself.

Sounds like such a simple thing to do, right?

The truth is: one of the things we struggle with the most in life is being true to ourselves. When we have been hurt in the past, we sometimes hide parts of ourselves so we can protect ourselves from being hurt again.

One of the reasons I talk about loving yourself is that when we practice loving ourselves, we develop a certain trust that brings us closer to being true to ourselves.

For some of us, this is easier said than done. If you’re finding that you’re saying or doing things just to appease others, then you’re denying your soul’s purpose.

You’re denying yourself happiness.

I encourage you to practice loving yourselfoften, because it’s the best way to get closer to who you are.

Begin to Trust Yourself

Many times we find that we’re unsure of ourselves. We constantly second-guess our decisions, or we make them based on others around us. Why are we so willing to trust others, but not ourselves?

You are a unique, beautiful soul.

It can be difficult to not suppress your true self in a world that is so quick to judge or compare you to others. We learn from our culture or parents, and we start to judge ourselves constantly, because that’s what we’re taught.

That is no way to live a happy and loving life. You’ll constantly be chasing something that is untrue to your Divine being.

The Benefits of Being True to Yourself

There is no wrong way or right way to build self-esteem. Your inner child or inner compass is there to guide you. Trust it. Love yourself and always be true to the best version of yourself.

Being true to your self is a constant decision that we make daily.

And don’t think that just because you made a mistake you’re a failure.

Life is a learning experience. Sometimes we make decisions true to us, and sometimes we don’t. It’s OK because we learn.

We are not defined by the mistakes we make. Allow yourself to let go of your negative self-talk, and love yourself.

When you do this, you will noticed many powerful shifts inside of you, such as:

1. Compassion

When we love ourselves in each situation, we learn to be the best version of ourselves. We become more compassionate towards ourselves, and we stop judging ourselves based on past decisions or actions. We learn from our mistakes, and move on to the next moment. When we are compassionate with ourselves and others, it’s easier to adapt to changes in our life and to bounce back from hardship faster.

2. Bravery

Being your true self  moment after moment makes you courageous and strong. When challenges or anxieties mount, you might feel the pressure, but you face them with grace, because you learn that you can count on yourself—your true self—to do your best, whether you fail or succeed!

3. Comfort

When we express our true self we become comfortable in our skin and a weight is lifted off our shoulders. Self-berating diminishes, and with time, we’re less worried about the future. We are comfortable in the present, and we no longer carry the past around with us.

We pay attention to the present, and it brings us comfort to be here—no matter where we are.

4. Positivity

You’ll notice that when you practice trusting your inner voice that your relationships with others will change. You’ll start surrounding yourself with people who help you or encourage you to be yourself. You will not spend so much time around people who drain your energy, and you’ll gravitate towards others who inspire the best in you.

5. We Get Our Needs Met

We in turn live a happy, fulfilling life. We get our needs met because we trust what we’re doing each day in each moment. We know that we deserve to be happy, and we have hope, and the belief in the value of pursuing our dreams.

3 Habits for Building Self-Esteem

There are many ways to help you build self-esteem along your journey to being your true self. Here are 3 of my favorite daily tools for loving yourself:

1. Keep a journal.

Write down your experiences, how you felt about them and whether you felt you dealt with it in way that aligned with your inner voice. If you felt upset toward someone, did you confront them or hide it? The more you write down and notice when you’re doing what’s best for you, the more you get close to expressing your true being more often.

2. Practice Meditation.

There is no better way than to relax, breathe and rest your thoughts. This is a great time to practice affirmations and reflect on what you want for your life.

Below I share a meditation for increasing your self-love and self-worth. Self-esteem can become a habit when you practice loving yourself every day.

3. Practice Mirror Work or Tapping.

Looking into your eyes and expressing your true feelings is a great way to discover your underlying fears and finally face them with compassion.

Many people think that affirmations are my most powerful tool, and yes, affirmations are powerful, but the truth is, that affirmations are most powerful when combined with tapping or mirror work. My friend Robert Holden, Ph.D. helped me create a free video series about how to do mirror work. You can watch the free series here.

A Meditation for Building Self Esteem

No person, place, or thing has any power over me unless I give it, for I am the only thinker in my mind.

I have immense freedom in that I can choose what to think.

I can choose to see life in positive ways instead of complaining or being mad at myself or other people.

Complaining about what I do not have is one way to handle a situation, but it does not change anything.

When I love myself and find myself in the midst of a negative situation, I can say something such as, “I am willing to release the pattern in my consciousness that contributed to this condition.”

I have made negative choices in the past, but this does not mean that I am a bad person, nor am I stuck with these negative choices.

I release old judgments and love myself unconditionally.

I am not a healer. I do not heal anyone. I think of myself as a stepping stone on a pathway of self-discovery. I create a space where people can learn how incredibly wonderful they are by teaching them to love themselves. After years of individual counseling with clients and conducting hundreds of workshops and intensive training programs across the country and around the world, I found that there is only one thing that heals every problem, and that is: to know how to love yourself.

When people start to love themselves more each day, it’s amazing how their lives get better. They feel better. They get the jobs they want. They have the money they need. Their relationships either improve, or the negative ones dissolve and new ones begin.

It’s a very simple premise—loving yourself. I’ve been criticized for being too simplistic, and I have found that the simple things are usually the most profound.

Someone said to me recently, “You gave me the most wonderful gift—you gave me the gift of myself.” So many of us hide from ourselves and we don’t even know who we are. We don’t know what we feel, we don’t know what we want.

Life is a voyage of self discovery. To me, to be enlightened is to go within and to know who and what we really are, and to know that we have the ability to change for the better by loving and taking care of ourselves.

It’s not selfish to love ourselves. It clears us so that we can love ourselves enough to love other people. We can really help the planet when we come from a space of great love and joy on an individual basis.

The Power that created this incredible Universe has often been referred to as love. God is love. We have often heard the statement: Love makes the world go ’round. It’s all true. Love is the binding agent that holds the whole Universe together.

To me, love is a deep appreciation. When I talk about loving ourselves, I mean having a deep appreciation for who we are. We accept all the different parts of ourselves—our little peculiarities, the embarrassments, the things we may not do so well, and all the wonderful qualities, too.

We accept the whole package with love. Unconditionally.

Unfortunately, many of us will not love ourselves until we lose the weight, or get the job, or get the raise, or the boyfriend, or whatever. We often put conditions on our love. But we can change. We can love ourselves as we are right now!

We are in the midst of enormous individual and global change. I believe that all of us who are living at this time chose to be here to be a part of these changes, to bring about change, and to transform the world from the old way of life to a more loving and peaceful existence.

In the Piscean Age we looked “out there” for our savior: “Save me. Save me. Please take care of me.” Now we are moving into the Aquarian Age, and we are learning to go within to find our savior. We are the power we have been seeking.

We Are In Charge Of Our lives

If you are not willing to love yourself today, then you are not going to love yourself tomorrow, because whatever excuse you have today, you’ll still have tomorrow. Maybe you’ll have the same excuse 20 years from now, and even leave this lifetime holding on to the same excuse.

Today is the day you can love yourself totally with no expectations.

Love is something we can choose, the same way we choose anger, or hate, or sadness. We can choose to forgive someone who has hurt us and begin to finally heal. We can choose to be grateful for what we have. We can choose love. It’s always a choice within us.

Let’s begin right now in this moment to choose love.

It’s the most powerful healing force there is.

If you would like to build your self-esteem, remember to love yourself daily.

Many people don’t practice building self-esteem daily because they don’t realize that it’s something that they can learn to do, no matter what experiences they have had in life.

The key to starting the process is to recognize that self-esteem, self-love, self-worth—whatever you feel drawn to calling it—is a seed that grows if you water it.

How do you begin to grow your self-esteem? You start by recognizing that you deserve to be loved. You deserve to love yourself.

Sounds like such a simple thing to do, right?

The truth is: one of the things we struggle with the most in life is being true to ourselves. When we have been hurt in the past, we sometimes hide parts of ourselves so we can protect ourselves from being hurt again.

One of the reasons I talk about loving yourself is that when we practice loving ourselves, we develop a certain trust that brings us closer to being true to ourselves.

For some of us, this is easier said than done. If you’re finding that you’re saying or doing things just to appease others, then you’re denying your soul’s purpose.

You’re denying yourself happiness.

I encourage you to practice loving yourselfoften, because it’s the best way to get closer to who you are.

Begin to Trust Yourself

Many times we find that we’re unsure of ourselves. We constantly second-guess our decisions, or we make them based on others around us. Why are we so willing to trust others, but not ourselves?

You are a unique, beautiful soul.

It can be difficult to not suppress your true self in a world that is so quick to judge or compare you to others. We learn from our culture or parents, and we start to judge ourselves constantly, because that’s what we’re taught.

That is no way to live a happy and loving life. You’ll constantly be chasing something that is untrue to your Divine being.

The Benefits of Being True to Yourself

There is no wrong way or right way to build self-esteem. Your inner child or inner compass is there to guide you. Trust it. Love yourself and always be true to the best version of yourself.

Being true to your self is a constant decision that we make daily.

And don’t think that just because you made a mistake you’re a failure.

Life is a learning experience. Sometimes we make decisions true to us, and sometimes we don’t. It’s OK because we learn.

We are not defined by the mistakes we make. Allow yourself to let go of your negative self-talk, and love yourself.

When you do this, you will noticed many powerful shifts inside of you, such as:

1. Compassion

When we love ourselves in each situation, we learn to be the best version of ourselves. We become more compassionate towards ourselves, and we stop judging ourselves based on past decisions or actions. We learn from our mistakes, and move on to the next moment. When we are compassionate with ourselves and others, it’s easier to adapt to changes in our life and to bounce back from hardship faster.

2. Bravery

Being your true self  moment after moment makes you courageous and strong. When challenges or anxieties mount, you might feel the pressure, but you face them with grace, because you learn that you can count on yourself—your true self—to do your best, whether you fail or succeed!

3. Comfort

When we express our true self we become comfortable in our skin and a weight is lifted off our shoulders. Self-berating diminishes, and with time, we’re less worried about the future. We are comfortable in the present, and we no longer carry the past around with us.

We pay attention to the present, and it brings us comfort to be here—no matter where we are.

4. Positivity

You’ll notice that when you practice trusting your inner voice that your relationships with others will change. You’ll start surrounding yourself with people who help you or encourage you to be yourself. You will not spend so much time around people who drain your energy, and you’ll gravitate towards others who inspire the best in you.

5. We Get Our Needs Met

We in turn live a happy, fulfilling life. We get our needs met because we trust what we’re doing each day in each moment. We know that we deserve to be happy, and we have hope, and the belief in the value of pursuing our dreams.

3 Habits for Building Self-Esteem

There are many ways to help you build self-esteem along your journey to being your true self. Here are 3 of my favorite daily tools for loving yourself:

1. Keep a journal.

Write down your experiences, how you felt about them and whether you felt you dealt with it in way that aligned with your inner voice. If you felt upset toward someone, did you confront them or hide it? The more you write down and notice when you’re doing what’s best for you, the more you get close to expressing your true being more often.

2. Practice Meditation.

There is no better way than to relax, breathe and rest your thoughts. This is a great time to practice affirmations and reflect on what you want for your life.

Below I share a meditation for increasing your self-love and self-worth. Self-esteem can become a habit when you practice loving yourself every day.

3. Practice Mirror Work or Tapping.

Looking into your eyes and expressing your true feelings is a great way to discover your underlying fears and finally face them with compassion.

Many people think that affirmations are my most powerful tool, and yes, affirmations are powerful, but the truth is, that affirmations are most powerful when combined with tapping or mirror work. My friend Robert Holden, Ph.D. helped me create a free video series about how to do mirror work. You can watch the free series here.

A Meditation for Building Self Esteem

No person, place, or thing has any power over me unless I give it, for I am the only thinker in my mind.

I have immense freedom in that I can choose what to think.

I can choose to see life in positive ways instead of complaining or being mad at myself or other people.

Complaining about what I do not have is one way to handle a situation, but it does not change anything.

When I love myself and find myself in the midst of a negative situation, I can say something such as, “I am willing to release the pattern in my consciousness that contributed to this condition.”

I have made negative choices in the past, but this does not mean that I am a bad person, nor am I stuck with these negative choices.

I release old judgments and love myself unconditionally.