3 Things People with Bipolar Disorder Should NOT Do

When managing bipolar symptoms to stabilize moods, there are plenty of things we should do. But there are just as many things we should not do. Here’s what to avoid.

Managing Symptoms, Expectations, & Positivity

Living with bipolar disorder is a delicate balance of managing symptoms, managing expectations, and—perhaps most important—maintaining a hopeful outlook that things can be better or life will stay good.

Managing bipolar isn’t a weekly or even daily obligation; every moment is, in some way, dedicated to managing the illness. And just as there are plenty of things a person should do to manage bipolar symptoms and mood stability, there are a wealth of things a person should not do, too. Here are three of them.

#1 People with Bipolar Disorder Should Not Drink Alcohol

Let’s go ahead and get the big one out of the way, first. There are too many reasons to list why people with bipolar disorder shouldn’t drink alcohol. That said, the main reasons are:

(a) If the person is on medication, alcohol will most likely interfere with the efficacy of the treatment, likely making it much less effective.

(b) Alcohol is also known to lower inhibitions, and by removing your last bit of restraint, you may find the “courage” to do something you’ll later regret. The effects could remove the final barriers between stability and depression or stability and mania. Either outcome is, frankly, not good.

(c) Alcohol is addictive. People with bipolar disorder are particularly susceptible to alcohol dependence. In general, we are often known to be inflexible or “slaves to our routines.” Alcohol is a common choice when it comes to self-medicating because it slows thinking. While slowing thinking may sound like a good thing during episodes of mania and when dealing with racing thoughts, trust me, this cure is worse than the disease.

(d) Consuming alcohol, in general, carries some risk. The effects on “normal” people are well understood, and the person imbibing needs to drink responsibly.  This advice holds particularly true for those of us who are also managing bipolar disorder.

#2 People with Bipolar Disorder Should Not Rush into Things

I’ve experienced “love at first sight” no less than 100 times. I’ve started, without exaggeration, thousands of projects over the years. Every single one of them felt amazing.

Until that feeling wore off. Sometimes this was in a couple of days, sometimes in a couple of minutes. If I acted on them as though they were the only things that mattered in my life, I would have ended up over-promising, spending lots of money, and hurting people I loved. Over the years, chasing the new and shiny bauble has cost me tens of thousands of dollars and multiple friendships and relationships.

One of the most difficult things I had to learn in order to properly manage bipolar disorder was to simply slow down. Just because it feels like a great idea doesn’t mean it is. And, more important, if it is a good idea, it’ll still be one in a week.

#3 People with Bipolar Disorder Should NOT Stay Up All Night

People with bipolar disorder need to practice exceptional sleep hygiene. Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day is the key to maintaining good physical and mental health for everyone.  But it’s even more important when it comes to managing the highs and lows of bipolar.

Being overly tired can lead to depression or mania, and that alone should be reason enough to make proper rest a priority. Furthermore, it has been proven that routine makes symptoms of bipolar more manageable—and even prevents them altogether. No routine can be complete without a bedtime.

Also, and maybe this is just me, but at 3 a.m., when the house is quiet, I’m all alone, and I’m sleep-deprived, my mind never ends up in a positive place. I start to dwell on my failures and regrets, and I often binge-eat, which makes me feel physically ill. With rare exceptions, I’ve never been better off because I stayed up past my bedtime.

Mood Stability Is Complex but Attainable—and Worth It!

In conclusion, I’ve said many times that there is not one magic “thing” a person can do to live well in spite of bipolar. There are, realistically, dozens of little things that a person needs to do every second of every day to live well. Working hard to figure out all of those things and mastering them is the best advice I can give a person for leading a productive, happy, and long life.

After all, I’m not just a bipolar writer and speaker—I’m also a patient.

Originally posted January 12, 2016