It’s taken many years for my psychiatrist and me to find the right combination of medications that helps me manage my bipolar II symptoms. While those medications help keep things manageable, they don’t completely stop them. There are still other things I need to do for myself to stay well (and to bounce back when I’m not feeling well).
Pilates
Yoga is something that’s helped a lot of my friends. I tried getting into it for a long time, but I could never feel the relaxing effect everyone talks about, which only stressed me out. One day, I tried a Pilates class, and it was like a switch flipped for me. Pilates had certain elements that demanded my focus so much that I had no choice but to be fully present. It was as if taking the class hit a mental reset button for me on a tough day. This is what helped me learn to let go of what I thought I was supposed to do to take care of myself and start paying attention to what actually helped.
Journaling
I’ve kept journals for well over a decade. Journaling gets my thoughts out of my head and gives them somewhere to go, which is helpful when my mood gets low or I’m getting too worked up and need to ground myself.
I use something called the feelings wheel to help me pinpoint the emotions that come up as I write out my thoughts. The feelings wheel gives me a list of options I might not otherwise come up with on my own in the moment. Instead of jotting down that I feel “sad,” what I’m feeling might be closer to “lonely” or “indifferent” — the feelings wheel helps me remember all the options. When I’m seeing multiple days in a row of feelings that could indicate one of my high highs or low lows, journaling helps bring that to my attention quickly.
Therapy
This one may seem obvious. I have a rule that I go to therapy weekly even if I’m feeling balanced and not on the verge of any kind of episode. Doing this helps me have a baseline. Without the consistency, I may miss some early signs that a depressive episode, for example, is around the corner.
I also bring my journal to therapy (or jot down things in the Notes app on my phone) to help me remember things I know I should mention in session. I have trouble sticking with daily mood-tracking apps, but every week I’ll sit down with my journal and circle or flag anything I think I should bring up. It gives me a general overview, and the combination of regular therapy and journaling helps because someone else is helping me keep tabs on how I’m doing.
Talking to Friends
If I start to feel some symptoms pop up, I always mention it to a friend. One example is that sometimes I’ll notice myself not getting as tired or needing as much as usual. This can sometimes mean that I’m getting hypomanic and need to do certain things to prioritize my sleep hygiene. Telling a friend about it means I have someone who will check in about it and help hold me accountable on things like being careful with caffeine and other things that can mess with my sleep even further. If they see me post a Trenta cold brew on my Instagram story at 5 p.m., they know to give me a nudge about that.
I even have a group text with a few friends who “get it” and have similar mental health struggles, and that is especially helpful with validation on an “off” day. They remind me that I’m not too sensitive or too dramatic and that my brain is just having “one of those days.”
Music
My new favorite coping skill is a playlist I made called “Songs That Make Me Feel Like Myself.” It represents the balanced-but-fun self I enjoy being able to show up as in the world. When I’m having a day where I feel too up or too down, I’ll go for a walk listening to that playlist, and it helps me override the high/low feelings and recenter.
It seems like there’s a song for every feeling under the sun, so sometimes I’ll also use music to help me “feel my feelings” when I know there’s something I need to process to hopefully prevent myself from hitting what could turn into a hypomanic or depressive episode.
These are all things that work for me, and there are plenty of other coping mechanisms that help, too. It took some time to figure out what worked for me (versus the things I thought were supposed to help), but I’m really grateful that I know what they are because these things help my bipolar II episodes be less severe.
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