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Improving and Maintaining the Quality of your Life You have the power to change. Whether you are newly diagnosed with a mood disorder or have been managing depression or bipolar illness (also known as manic depression) for years, you can benefit from a healthy lifestyle. While you cannot change your diagnosis, you can change aspects of your life to manage or lessen your symptoms and improve the quality of your life. When you were first diagnosed with a mood disorder, you may have felt powerless or afraid. This brochure will suggest ways to empower yourself and play an active role in the way you live day-to-day with your illness. Regular appointments with your health care provider and attendance at DBSA support group meetings, in addition to the suggestions outlined here, can put a healthy lifestyle within your reach. This web page was developed from a survey of DBSA support group members – people living with a mood disorder just like you – as a resource on the lifestyle issues they said were of greatest concern. Add a few ideas of your own, or ask for suggestions from your doctor or DBSA support group. Use the checklist found at the end of this brochure to periodically evaluate your lifestyle. Many of the suggestions detailed here may become habits after a period of time, and healthy habits help build a healthy life. Reducing Stress Stress can cause or worsen symptoms of mania or depression. It is important to learn what causes your stress, ways to identify and deal with stressors and ways to minimize your overall day-to-day stress level. Stress may be caused by a variety of factors, both external and internal – some of which you may not be aware of. Repeated or constant stress can lead to tension, chronic pain, anxiety and an inability to enjoy life. With the right treatment and therapy, you can learn to anticipate and deal with stress, and with support, you can work on breaking out of stressful patterns or situations. Recognizing and Handling Causes of Stress Learn how to recognize causes of stress, or “triggers,” such as difficult people, financial matters, noise, lack of time or high pressure situations. Review your daily activities periodically in search of triggers you may not be aware of – look for patterns in your symptoms and stress levels. You may want to discuss your stressors with your doctor or therapist. Keeping a journal of the time of day and what you were doing when you felt stress can be helpful. Many people have also found a mood calendar to be a great help. DBSA offers a Personal Calendar to track symptoms of mania and depression, mood swings, medications taken and co-existing symptoms. Contact DBSA for more information. Whenever possible, develop ways to control when and where you deal with stressful situations or people, choosing times when you are as calm and rested as possible. Develop ways to prepare yourself for stressors that can’t be avoided, such as talking with a trusted friend before dealing with a stressful situation, setting aside time to be alone after stressful incidents or taking a break during the day for a brief rest or meditation. Canceling or postponing a stressful encounter if you are not feeling well is a legitimate way of taking care of yourself. Communication Arrange to have a supportive “buddy” (possibly someone from your DBSA group) and set aside time to talk to one another about stressful issues and offer support and guidance. When things are troubling you, talk about them with a trusted friend (your “buddy” or another good friend), family member or health care provider before stress builds up and leads to a crisis. If you are not ready to talk about a troubling issue, write down your feelings and thoughts in a journal or on paper you throw away. Writing can be a good release, and reading your journal entries over a period of time can give you some insights into some of your thought, feeling or behavior patterns. It may be easier for you to express yourself through music, art or other creative activities. It is not necessary for you to worry about the quality of your work or share it with anyone when you are finished. Relaxation Allow yourself to relax and set aside time for relaxation. Make a commitment to spend some time relaxing at the same time each day or week. Write it on your schedule or calendar if you need to be reminded. Experiment with different relaxation methods until you find the one that is right for you. Some methods that have worked for others include: - Walking
- Listening to music
- Light exercise such as dancing or bicycling
- Breathing, muscle tension or visualization exercises. These involve taking deep breaths and concentrating on your breathing; or tensing, then relaxing muscle groups one by one, from toes to head; or visualizing a calm, safe, stress-free place. Ask a therapist for suggestions or instructions.
- Meditation or yoga
- Music
- Art
Spend some time using your relaxation techniques immediately before or after stressful events. Don’t use alcohol or illegal drugs to cope with stress.
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