Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

1 week ago

What to Do About Negative Thinking When Bipolar Makes It Worse Even small changes in self-talk and mindset can lead to big emotional relief — especially when anxiety and depression loom. Key Takeaways ________________ There’s a well-established loop between a dreary outlook and a depressed mood — so learning to shift out of negative modes such as pessimism, catastrophic escalation, and destructive self-talk can improve your... The post What to Do About Negative Thinking When Bipolar Makes It Worse appeared first on bpHope.com.

What to Do About Negative Thinking When Bipolar Makes It Worse #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #ThinkingAttentionIssues #Fall2016

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

1 month ago

How Time Changes Can Affect Your Mood — and What You Can Do Transitions like Daylight Saving Time can disrupt sleep and raise the risk of bipolar mood shifts. Here’s how to stay steady. Key Takeaways ______________ Benjamin Franklin first mentioned what we now call Daylight Saving Time (DST) in a 1784 essay. He somewhat satirically proposed conserving candles for the early morning hours. While the United States... The post How Time Changes Can Affect Your Mood — and What You Can Do appeared first on bpHope.com.

How Time Changes Can Affect Your Mood — and What You Can Do #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarDisorderSymptoms #BipolarInsomnia

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

2 months ago

Bipolar Disorder and Hyposexuality: Understand Low Sex Drive When bipolar depression or medications lower your libido, these expert-backed strategies can help restore intimacy. Key Takeaways _________________ Hypersexuality during manic or hypomanic episodes can put relationships, health, and safety at risk. Because it can lead to impulsive choices, it tends to get a lot of attention. But there’s a quieter counterpart that can feel... The post Bipolar Disorder and Hyposexuality: Understand Low Sex Drive appeared first on bpHope.com.

Bipolar Disorder and Hyposexuality: Understand Low Sex Drive #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarDisorderandRelationships

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

2 months ago

Understanding Bipolar Remorse: When Mania and Depression Cause Regret Whether it’s a missed lunch or an inappropriate joke, bipolar symptoms can leave a trail of lingering guilt. Key Takeaways __________ Regrets. My head is full of them. They come up from time to time. Old ones are like old friends — familiar, comfortable, irritating, and sometimes troublesome. These regrets tend to fade quickly. Newer... The post Understanding Bipolar Remorse: When Mania and Depression Cause Regret appeared first on bpHope.com.

Understanding Bipolar Remorse: When Mania and Depression Cause Regret #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarMania #grandiosethinking

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

2 months ago

Learning How to Feel Good About Yourself Even with bipolar disorder, building self-confidence through small successes remains firmly within our control. How we feel about and envision ourselves — especially when our thoughts turn negative — can seem unchangeable. But there are accessible ways to increase our self-esteem, start feeling good about who we are, and build a positive self-image. Embracing these... The post Learning How to Feel Good About Yourself appeared first on bpHope.com.

Learning How to Feel Good About Yourself #BipolarDepressionSymptoms

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

3 months ago

How to Survive the Suffocating Lies of Bipolar Depression Depression is a convincing liar. Here is how to navigate the darkness and find the light of stability. I struggled for months with a bipolar depression that smothered me. It felt like suffocation. The heaviness seemed to affect even my breathing: I had to consciously labor for each breath. It felt as if someone had... The post How to Survive the Suffocating Lies of Bipolar Depression appeared first on bpHope.com.

How to Survive the Suffocating Lies of Bipolar Depression #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #medication #negativeselftalk

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

3 months ago

Why Depression Drains Motivation — and What Can Help From brain chemistry to daily habits, bipolar disorder affects motivation in real ways. Here are tools that help Something changed when Sasha W. noticed the hot pink running shoes sitting in the corner of her bedroom. She was 27 at the time and struggling with the worst depressive valley of her life. As she lay... The post Why Depression Drains Motivation — and What Can Help appeared first on bpHope.com.

Why Depression Drains Motivation — and What Can Help #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #depression #esperanza

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

3 months ago

What Bipolar Depression Taught Me About Self-Doubt Managing bipolar depression isn’t just about treatment — it’s about recognizing self-doubt, setting limits, and allowing time to heal. I’ve always believed in setting high expectations: in school, work, relationships — everywhere. Whenever someone tells me I can’t accomplish something — whether because of my gender, psychiatric condition, ethnicity, or anything else — my instinct... The post What Bipolar Depression Taught Me About Self-Doubt appeared first on bpHope.com.

What Bipolar Depression Taught Me About Self-Doubt #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #depression #psychotherapy

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

3 months ago

Why Treating My Bipolar Was the Key to Ending My Eating Disorder I tried to control my eating habits while my mind spiraled. I learned I couldn’t heal my relationship with food without first stabilizing my mood. I went through a rough breakup more than a decade ago. I withdrew from my friends and family, crying constantly. I felt like I’d lost the spark that makes me... The post Why Treating My Bipolar Was the Key to Ending My Eating Disorder appeared first on bpHope.com.

Why Treating My Bipolar Was the Key to Ending My Eating Disorder #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarMania

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

3 months ago

Bipolar and Motivation: What Works for Real People Low energy can make even simple tasks seem impossible. Find real-life strategies to help you move forward. Motivation can feel elusive when you live with bipolar disorder.  Some days, bipolar depression takes hold, making you feel completely unmotivated and struggling to get out of bed or shower. On other days — during a manic or... The post Bipolar and Motivation: What Works for Real People appeared first on bpHope.com.

Bipolar and Motivation: What Works for Real People #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarMania

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

3 months ago

How to Get Things Done When You’re Depressed From getting out of bed to completing work tasks, it’s difficult to do anything when bipolar depression takes over. Here’s how to change that. There’s no question that it’s difficult to get things done when you’re depressed as a result of your bipolar disorder. I’ve certainly had a hard time with this for most of... The post How to Get Things Done When You’re Depressed appeared first on bpHope.com.

How to Get Things Done When You’re Depressed #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarDisorderSymptoms

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

3 months ago

How to Find Motivation When Bipolar Has You Stuck Simple lifestyle changes can recharge momentum, helping to overcome inertia and improve motivation with bipolar disorder. Motivation is that mysterious force that gets us moving and helps us accomplish what we need — or wish — to get done. A behavioral model known as the Stages of Change Theory helps explain how this process unfolds.... The post How to Find Motivation When Bipolar Has You Stuck appeared first on bpHope.com.

How to Find Motivation When Bipolar Has You Stuck #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #depression #goals

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

4 months ago

Why I Save My New Year’s Resolutions for Spring January is for rest. I wait for spring to set goals that feel like fresh starts, not winter chores. Ahh, spring. It’s a time of refreshment and renewal. With more daylight hours, my energy level goes up, and I feel more motivated to accomplish goals. That’s why I save my New Year’s resolutions until spring. ... The post Why I Save My New Year’s Resolutions for Spring appeared first on bpHope.com.

Why I Save My New Year’s Resolutions for Spring #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarMania

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

4 months ago

Finding Your Way Through Bipolar Depression Often overshadowed by mania, bipolar depression is widespread and frequently misdiagnosed, but coping skills can still help keep hope alive. When he’s feeling low and the couch is the only place he wants to be, Jim B. might choose to work on his motorcycle or take a walk with his wife, children, or dogs. Distracting... The post Finding Your Way Through Bipolar Depression appeared first on bpHope.com.

Finding Your Way Through Bipolar Depression #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #copingskills #depression

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

4 months ago

Practical Advice for Beating Loneliness in Bipolar Depression When bipolar depression fuels isolation, these simple, steady steps can help lift your mood and lessen the loneliness. Are you lonely? I often am.  One thing I’ve learned about loneliness is that it’s easy to confuse “bipolar” loneliness with “real-life” loneliness. Whenever I find myself thinking I have no friends, nothing to look forward to,... The post Practical Advice for Beating Loneliness in Bipolar Depression appeared first on bpHope.com.

Practical Advice for Beating Loneliness in Bipolar Depression #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarTreatmentwithPeerSupport

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

4 months ago

Lonely Over the Holidays? Here’s How to Feel Less Isolated Holidays can feel distancing, but taking a proactive approach can help manage loneliness and your bipolar disorder. The holidays can often be the hardest time of the year for dealing with loneliness and the mood shifts that can accompany it. This year may be the perfect opportunity for a new personal project or tradition of... The post Lonely Over the Holidays? Here’s How to Feel Less Isolated appeared first on bpHope.com.

Lonely Over the Holidays? Here’s How to Feel Less Isolated #BipolarDepressionSymptoms

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

4 months ago

Why Do We Isolate With Bipolar? Understanding the Cycle Bipolar depression often leads to self-isolation. Recognizing the signs helps me break the cycle. If video is not showing, click here I have noticed a connection between my bipolar depression and isolation. One of the main problems I face during depressive episodes is withdrawing from life and isolating myself from everyone. During my first episode,... The post Why Do We Isolate With Bipolar? Understanding the Cycle appeared first on bpHope.com.

Why Do We Isolate With Bipolar? Understanding the Cycle #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #VideoPostsBipolarStories #depression

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

5 months ago

How Bipolar Depression Can Affect Your Spending It’s not just mania that affects your finances. Bipolar depression can also impact your spending patterns, often in ways you may not realize. The story I tell myself about money is that I’m not good with it, but the truth is, I’m afraid of it. Most people who live with bipolar disorder have at least... The post How Bipolar Depression Can Affect Your Spending appeared first on bpHope.com.

How Bipolar Depression Can Affect Your Spending #BipolarDepressionSymptoms

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

6 months ago

What to Do When Pain Accompanies Bipolar Depression Neither pain nor bipolar can be effectively treated in isolation; the treatments for one condition invariably affect the other, for better or worse. Thanks to a pancreatic tumor, major surgery, and migraines, along with bipolar 1 disorder, I’ve become quite the expert in all things excruciating. As such, I’m confident that the distinctions we often... The post What to Do When Pain Accompanies Bipolar Depression appeared first on bpHope.com.

What to Do When Pain Accompanies Bipolar Depression #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #chronicpain #copingskills

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

6 months ago

Ask the Doctor: Why Do I Get Depressed Every Fall? Many people react to changes in light with shifts in energy level and mood, and for some, the fall is a difficult time. “I awoke today and found the frost perched on the town,It hovered in a frozen sky, then it gobbled summer down”~ Joni Mitchell One of the characteristics of depression in bipolar disorder... The post Ask the Doctor: Why Do I Get Depressed Every Fall? appeared first on bpHope.com.

Ask the Doctor: Why Do I Get Depressed Every Fall? #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarDisorderSymptoms #Fall2019

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

6 months ago

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Being Discharged From a Psychiatric Hospital Returning home after a severe bipolar episode can disrupt medication routines, sleep, and social life. Here’s how to get ready for what’s ahead. Some years ago, I was discharged from a psychiatric hospital after a stay for mania and psychosis. Of course, it was a relief to go home, but re-adjusting to everyday life after... The post 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Being Discharged From a Psychiatric Hospital appeared first on bpHope.com.

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Being Discharged From a Psychiatric Hospital #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarTreatmentandHospitalization

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

6 months ago

Ask the Doctor: Seasonal Affective Disorder and Bipolar Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is not a formal diagnosis but a pattern of depression commonly tied to the shorter days of fall and winter. The dread of approaching winter can begin to creep in as early as the peak of summer. The slow but inexorable decrease in the amount of daylight reminds one that the... The post Ask the Doctor: Seasonal Affective Disorder and Bipolar appeared first on bpHope.com.

Ask the Doctor: Seasonal Affective Disorder and Bipolar #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #depression #Fall2017

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

7 months ago

Stuck in Music and Memory Loops During Depression Looping songs and memories are a hallmark of my bipolar depression. Here’s how I spot the signs and interrupt the cycle. My brain has an extra groove when I’m depressed. This mood swing opens a channel where music and conversations are recorded and played back — over and over and over again. I then fly... The post Stuck in Music and Memory Loops During Depression appeared first on bpHope.com.

Stuck in Music and Memory Loops During Depression #BipolarDepressionSymptoms

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

7 months ago

Using Music to Manage Bipolar: Tips and Benefits From losing my love of music during depression to rediscovering joy at a Talking Heads concert, I’ve learned how music can be a powerful tool for healing and balance. “I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and... The post Using Music to Manage Bipolar: Tips and Benefits appeared first on bpHope.com.

Using Music to Manage Bipolar: Tips and Benefits #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarTreatmentwithArtandMusic

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

8 months ago

Acute Unfinished Projects Syndrome — an Early Sign of a Mood Episode When you’re having trouble finishing tasks or meeting deadlines, it’s not your to-do list you need to check, it’s your bipolar stability. Sometimes I find writing difficult in the most basic sense: The act of stringing words together to form a sentence can become impossible for me. My mind is so scattered that by the... The post Acute Unfinished Projects Syndrome — an Early Sign of a Mood Episode appeared first on bpHope.com.

Acute Unfinished Projects Syndrome — an Early Sign of a Mood Episode #BipolarandAnxiety #BipolarDepressionSymptoms

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

9 months ago

What to Do About Negative Thinking When Bipolar Makes It Worse Even small changes in self-talk and mindset can lead to big emotional relief — especially when anxiety and depression loom. There’s a well-established loop between a dreary outlook and a depressed mood — so learning to shift out of negative modes such as pessimism, catastrophic escalation, and destructive self-talk can improve your mental health. It’s... The post What to Do About Negative Thinking When Bipolar Makes It Worse appeared first on bpHope.com.

What to Do About Negative Thinking When Bipolar Makes It Worse #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #ThinkingAttentionIssues #Fall2016

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

10 months ago

Ask the Doctor: When Bipolar Depression Doesn’t Fully Lift If your mood feels stuck — not a full episode, but not quite stable — here’s what might help, from rethinking your meds to trying therapy or the ketogenic diet. One of the many conundrums that people who live with bipolar disorder deal with are mood states that are, well, not so great — but... The post Ask the Doctor: When Bipolar Depression Doesn’t Fully Lift appeared first on bpHope.com.

Ask the Doctor: When Bipolar Depression Doesn’t Fully Lift #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarDisorderSymptoms #depression

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

10 months ago

Why I Give My Bipolar Moods Their Own Names Giving names to my moods helps me make sense of bipolar disorder — and reminds me I’m more than my diagnosis. To handle my shifting moods — from deep depression to challenging mania — I decided to give them names.  Naming my moods helps me recognize what’s happening and reminds me that I’m more than... The post Why I Give My Bipolar Moods Their Own Names appeared first on bpHope.com.

Why I Give My Bipolar Moods Their Own Names #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarDisorderandRelationships

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

11 months ago

7 Proven Ways to Manage Your Negative Thoughts Struggling with persistent dark thoughts? Learn expert-recommended ways to reframe your thinking and improve your mood. Since people with bipolar disorder spend three times as many days depressed as elated, it is the lows more than the highs that cause people to seek help.  When my clients are living with bipolar depression, one of the... The post 7 Proven Ways to Manage Your Negative Thoughts appeared first on bpHope.com.

7 Proven Ways to Manage Your Negative Thoughts #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #depression #optimism

Bipolar Awareness ~ Stop the Stigma

@stopthestigma.bsky.social

11 months ago

What Resilience Really Looks Like With Bipolar Disorder It’s not about powering through. It’s about avoiding known triggers, protecting your energy, and staying flexible through setbacks. I often feel like I’ve stepped back in time when I get really sick. I think, How could this happen again? I’ve worked so hard to get where I am! I remember saying this to my therapist... The post What Resilience Really Looks Like With Bipolar Disorder appeared first on bpHope.com.

What Resilience Really Looks Like With Bipolar Disorder #BipolarDepressionSymptoms #BipolarDisorderSymptoms #BipolarMania