What Helps Leo, 46, With Bipolar Disorder
Editor's Note
Any medical information included is based on a personal experience. For questions or concerns regarding health, please consult a doctor or medical professional.
With our ongoing “What Helps Me” series, The Mighty is leaning into what sets us apart from other health sites: We aim to provide real health advice from real people who live it.
• What is Bipolar disorder?
In this spirit, we asked our community for the best insights and tips they’ve developed for managing their conditions. As always, they responded with their unique health stories and we are happy to pass along their well-tested resources to you.
Today, we meet Mighty member Leo. He is 46 years old and lives with bipolar disorder.
Leo, what helps you?
THE MIGHTY: What helps you most when your condition affects your physical health?
LEO: Without getting too fixated on physical health, I try to keep some basic immunity boosting-activities queued up everyday. That could feature vitamins, smoothies, exercise, yoga, [or] some good dog-walking. That way, even though [I may face] adversity [with my health], I know I am being proactive. [Offsetting a bad versus good mentality] can tame [the] basic anxiety that starts to come out when these pesky illnesses arise.
What helps you most when your condition affects your mental health?
Generally, going outside for a walk or hike with friends [helps me]. I generally need a distraction [or] a conversation — but it has to be [with] an empathetic listener or else [me health] can devolve further. Conflict is a very magnifying factor within all aspects of life, so if I can resolve [issues] with others, that may help stabilize [me] for a moment.
How do you cope when your normal self-care isn’t working?
Sometimes [Instagram] is necessary to unplug from stimuli and interactions. If I am able to find a new goal, book, food, exercise, or musical influence, that can [bring me] some endorphins and distract me from [my] cycles of anxiety and doubt.
Thank you to Leo for his contributions to our community. Did you find this helpful? Add your gratitude in the comments.
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Image via contributor.