There are some common situations (like stress) that trigger mood episodes.
Allow yourself to grieve if you’re gonna wanna.
Many people aregrieving the lossof human connection, jobs, and loved ones during the pandemic.
Chelsea Victoria/Adobe Stock
However, he adds, support is crucial to help prevent an episodeand to help your overall mental well-being.
Friends, other family members, a therapist can all help, Dr. Magen says.
However, accessing this support is not always easy during the pandemic for various reasons.
If youre not already seeing a therapist, consider looking into counseling sessions to help you process your grief.
you’re able to ask your insurance provider for recommendations if you have coverage.
(Here is what you should know aboutscheduling medical appointmentsduring COVID-19.)
For example,Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Centerhosts weekly sessions.
These are not a replacement for mental health services with a professional who understands bipolar disorder.
However, it may be helpful to attend a bereavement group in conjunction with counseling.
Schedule regular check-ins with yourself.
Regular life stress didnt just magically disappearafter COVID-19 arrived.
Add in the nuances of the pandemic and itsa lotto deal with.
They might suggest more regular therapy sessions or changing your medication, depending on your particular needs.
That being said, this is a difficult time financially for so many people.
If youre having a hard time affording therapy or medication, you may have moreaccessible options.
Many of these offer sliding scale or even free care.
you might find one specifically for people with bipolar disorder through theDepression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
Its not a replacement for seeing your own dedicated mental health expert, but it may help.
When it comes to medication, some pharmaceutical companies have assistance programs to help people pay for medications.
Check with your manufacturer to see if there is one for your particular prescription.
Talk to your support system daily.
It can be helpful to have supportive friends and family who can help you identify and monitor triggers.
Your buddy isnt required to be available when you send the message.
Rather, they can view your video when theyre free and send their own video response.
Limit your alcohol intake.
There are a few reasons for this.
Mixing alcohol or drugs with mood stabilizerslikelithium or antipsychotic medication can make the prescriptions less effective, he says.
Theres some value to delaying responses, he says.
Sometimes that craving will go away in an hour.
But attempt to have a conversation with them about why its important for your mental health.
That support can be really helpful right nowand many groups are online, he says.
Come up with a plan to sleep consistently.
As we previously mentioned,good sleepis vital for managing bipolar disorder.
Research has found that lack of sleep increases the risk of a bipolar episode, particularly manias.
And, Dr. Magen points out, lack of sleep can be a vicious cycle for episodes.
Or maybe youd benefit from adding meditation or other mind-relaxing exercises to your daily routine.
The specific strategies can be dependent on the cause of your specific stress.
With that said, pretty much everything is harder these days.
Even top-notch sleep hygiene isnt necessarily going to make pandemic stress stopinterfering with your sleep.
They should be able to offer up a more tailored treatment for you.
Alternatively, your psychiatrist may be able to safely prescribe a medication to help you sleep.
Maintain consistent caffeine intake, if any at all.
And were back to another vicious cycle.
But higher levels of caffeine can trigger an episode.
Avoid taking in more caffeine than usual, even if youre tired, says Dr. Miklowitz.
Then, attempt to focus on good sleep hygiene for your next bedtime.
Were living in anextremely unsettling time, and its understandable that you might have trouble managing bipolar triggers.
