Bi-Polar disorder

[MommatoAandA]

I have Bi-Polar disorder. I manage at Hypomanic state most often, which is unusual. I have noticed that being tired/not getting enough sleep triggers my depressive modes, which I have had a lot of recently. I started a new job and I am working 30 hours which is by all rights too much for me. I am going to cut back to 22.5. I also am working the 3-11 shift which is ok, but I think it's throwing my kids off schedule and making them wake around the time I get home.

I am not medicating currently and do not plan to in the near future. I have been on meds before and they all make me feel BLAH. Tired. I am unable to get up with my children in the morning and they take away my Hypomania. I NEVER have Manic episodes. I had them in the past when I was in highschool, but I have learned how to control them and have not had one in years now. But these LOWS. OMG these lows. I literally cannot find energy to feed the kids or even go to work and pretend i'm ok. I get angry at the kids and then myself. Angry at DP who himself has depression and I can set him off. It's a tough mix, although he is much more stable than I am. It's like he wants to help me or fix me and I am so tired of people trying to fix me.

Anyone out there with a good natural remedy that seems to work for the low days?

[blessedwithboys]

have you tried fish oil? you would have to keep on it daily, cant just take it on low days. if you want a quick fix, maybe bach remedies?

[raelize]

EXERCISE!!!
the endorphins will help stave off your lows

[dianakaye]

I second the exercise. I've been dealing with a lot of hypomania lately, which is weird because I'm usually mildly depressed. The lows are so so hard. Another thing that helps me is journaling, meditation and yoga.

[MommatoAandA]

Exercise, Journaling, Yoga, and Fish Oil are totally Doable. I will have to work on fitting them into the ever so busy schedule I have going on.

Hypomania is so awesome for me. I am a ROCKSTAR on hypomanic days. lately there have been many more low days with that BLAH feeling though. I think it's the stress from the new job, school coming and trying to get into a highly competetive nursing program. I just keep telling myself as of September it will all ease up.

[RiverTam]

Exercise!

30 minutes of hard cardio 5-7 times per week will help a lot.

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by MommatoAandA

Hypomania is so awesome for me. I am a ROCKSTAR on hypomanic days. lately there have been many more low days with that BLAH feeling though. I think it's the stress from the new job, school coming and trying to get into a highly competetive nursing program. I just keep telling myself as of September it will all ease up.

I was hypomanic for most of my college years. It was great after a series of pretty bad manic episodes during high school. So then all of a sudden, I'm hypomanic all.the.time, and I got tons done. The problem is that I lost that and now have far more low days. No one - even my therapist - understands why I still mourn for those days. IME, unfortunately, exercise, fish oil, meditation haven't helped. They may offer a temporary relief, but they don't offer anything substantial. My doc now said cardio an hour a day, 6 days a week - look for results in 6-8 weeks. That seems so...ridiculous. I don't have the energy for that much exercise with no benefit for 6-8 weeks, but as I've recently gone off meds again, I'm going to try it.