I have bipolar disorder which results in me having extreme emotional swings. It’s a never-ending cycle. I always knew something was ‘up’ with me since I was young. It got progressively worse as life went on and instead of getting the help, I thought I was dramatic and needed to suck it up. Fast forward to today. I still have those same highs and lows, except my lows have gotten worse and my highs are very sparse. I’ve recently started therapy again and am taking my medication. I try to do things to make myself feel better, but when I’m low it’s hard to get that motivation.
Today I rolled out my yoga mat for the first time in days and began my practice I felt a calmness that I haven’t felt in a long time. It felt as if I was in a happy middle place, not high or low just peaceful. During that time of peace, I made a promise to myself a promise that I have never made to myself before. I promised to take care of myself, to dedicate myself to caring and listening to my mind and body, making sure they’re on a similar page. This means:
- Getting a semi-routine
I don’t mean a full routine because I don’t like them, that’s how the killer gets you. But having a good routine or a plan of my night, personal not business so my mind can get a rest.
- Do what I want
Often times when I really want to do something I end up putting it off due to a lazy day or not having people to do it with. I end up putting it off saying I’ll do it later and I end up not doing it at all. It’s a really bad habit of mine and I always wish I would have just done it then my spiral of regret comes and that’s never good. Not anymore going forward I do what I want, regardless of the reasoning.
- Rest at least once a week
I don’t rest. One of my jokes is I’m always working, why? I don’t know because I never feel like I’m moving. However this constant get ahead as well as trying to keep my home in order drives me crazy and I end up crashing. I don’t just sit and relax or tend to something that turns off my brain. So I took it upon myself to dedicate whichever day I go to therapy that’s my self-care day, I do something that just relaxes me and takes my mind off my day-to-day.
That’s it. Simple practices to get my head right and move towards a good place. I’m not going to over stress myself and I’m taking it one day at a time.
