To all my Bipolar peeps?!
Question: Do you have issues with work, and social settings? Do any of you meditate, does it help?
Answers: Do you have issues with work, and social settings? Do any of you meditate, does it help?
*** SORRY - LONG ANSWER - ***
Lindsay,
As you probably found out, medications don't work all the time. Mostly because the Bi-Polar Disorder can sometimes get worse over time - and all of a sudden boom, you're in a semi-manic state and you know it.
It can be really frightening when it happens at work and you find your mind begin to zip along. Or worse yet, when you're running a meeting and you begin speaking a mile a minute. (been there, done that).
Thankfully, most people can recognize that they're going manic. I worked in an office and when I was doing something important at work - running a meeting - or sitting (or should I say squirming) in my chair at a meeting, you just have to excuse yourself and leave. Use a medical reason like a severe headache that just came on.
If I happened to be at my desk in my cubicle, I'd ask my team leader if I could take a break so I could walk around and try to meditate and clear my head - either that or go out to my car and "rest" for a bit.
BUT...If I could tell it was going to be a bad episode coming on, I would ask to be excused for the day and get out of there as soon as possible.
The same thing happens in Social settings - sometimes I just have to excuse myself and leave early. There's no way I can let myself stay if I feel a manic episode coming on. Sure I might be the life of the party, but I also might do something really, really stupid - and I don't want to take that chance. And of course I cannot drink any alcohol - that's forbidden with most mood stabilizers and anti-depressants.
Then there's the opposite side - Depression. When you get into that state, it affects everything, and I mean everything - work, social, your health - everything. When you're really depressed, you don't even want to get out of bed - you only want to sleep all day.
So being Bi-polar affects your entire life - if its NOT under control. Thankfully there are medications to stabilize your mood swings. Remember that there are three types of Bi-polar disorder - the main type where you cycle between episodes of mania and depression over long periods - years, months. They aren't big swings, but they are there. Then there's rapid cycling, where you switch between the two every few months. That type is much easier to identify.
Then there's a newer one they finally recognized - or at least that's what they told me. For years I told my psychiatrists that I thought I was bi-polar, but since my mood swings would switch back and forth really, really fast - like multiple times in one day (for example - 5pm - I'd be fine. 6pm I'd be singing and hollering and rushing around my house. 7:30pm I'd crash. 8:30pm I'd be hiding in my dark bedroom so sad with tears rolling down my face. T'was not fun I tell you.) But the Psychiatrists said that type of mood changes didn't fall under the criteria for Bi-Polar Disorder. So they would only prescribe anti-depressants. One did give me Neurontin along with them, and luckily, my pain doc put me on anti-seizure medication - that helped a bit with my moods.
It was only last February that my Psychiatrist told me about "Fast Rapid Cycling Bi-Polar Disorder", and that's what I had. So in addition to my antidepressant, he put me on Lamictal. But it's been a long, long road - and I still have a way to go Lindsay.
Oh - and meditation works when your mood is relatively stable. When you're tipped over into the negative side of depression, it works, mostly because you're already in a quiet contemplative type mood. But when you're tipped over into the plus side of mania, you can try, but usually it's really, really difficult to quiet your mind when it's running at Warp Speed.
Lindsay - Just know that there are many of us with the Bi-polar Disorder out there. Why us? Perhaps its all the chemicals in the foods we eat. Perhaps its all the chemicals in the air we breathe? It could be our hormones are out of balance (my case I think). Only God knows the truth.
All I can say is that it's a constant struggle for us to keep our moods from going too far into the plus or minus zones. For example, think of a sliding scale with the numbers - 10 to + 10, where - 10 is severe depression and + 10 is severe mania, and 0 is the center. You don't want to keep swinging over the zero (center), back and forth between the two poles. Personally, for me, I'd rather mine settle around +2. A tad manic to give me that extra energy I need.
It's also a struggle to educate others about the Bi-polar disorder. Many people don't understand how it affects a person - what it does to a person, how it affects their life.
Unfortunately there's still a stigma attached to having any mental health disorder.
At work you ask yourself these questions -
a. do you want it in your records?
b. who do you tell?
1. your boss?
2. your team?
3. your immediate co-workers?
4. your closest friends?
5. your closest friend?
6. everyone?
7. no one?
c. Will telling hurt your chance for future promotions?
d. Whenever you get upset, will they say (behind your back) "XXX forgot to take his/her pills today."?
e. Anytime you're sad or elated, will co-workers comment that you're having a bi-polar episode?
f. Will there be an increase in the number of "mental health" jokes in your workplace?
There's a lot that can happen in the workplace just because people don't understand this disorder. However there is one major thing that can help - if you decide to tell people. Like I said above - Education. You can get pamphlets and hand them out. You can speak with your Medical Unit to see if they can sponsor a training class about the disorder.
And another important item you can use (most likely as a last resort), is that I believe we're protected under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). As such we cannot be discriminated against. If we are, we can file an Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint. And no employer wants one of them filed against them.
I do apologize is this answer is lengthy, but I had a lot to say about issues with work. Mostly because of the old adage - "been there, done that." But I do hope my answer helped in answering your question.
Good luck,
Ken
Just make sure to get on the right medication and take it every day and you should be OK at work and social settings.
Meditation works well because it helps clear all the racing thoughts.