Healthy Living.

Medication, therapy, regular discussions with your doctor, and the support of family and friends all serve as important parts of your treatment plan. Yet as you manage your symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, you may also want to consider your overall health and its impact on your treatment.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle

To get the most from your treatment plan, you should avoid alcohol and illicit drugs. Abuse of alcohol or drugs can interfere with your treatment goals. Even a small amount of alcohol or an illicit drug may trigger an episode, disrupt your sleep pattern, and interfere with your medication.

Eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, fish, and grains. Try to limit fast food, snack foods, sugar, and caffeine. Eating a healthy diet and engaging in doctor-approved exercise can help you maintain your weight and can contribute to overall health.

  • Wake up at a consistent time every morning. Go to bed around the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. An episode can be triggered by chemical changes in your body brought on by a disrupted sleep pattern.
  • Keep busy with things you enjoy. Consider drawing, writing, reading, and walking or other exercise. Before starting a diet or exercise program, talk to your doctor.
  • Reduce stress at work. Maintain regular, predictable hours if you can. It helps to anticipate stressful situations such as holiday activities or child care issues so you can ask loved ones for help and support.

Your symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, as well as daily events, can impact the way you feel. Now you can keep track of your daily moods and use this information to help manage your symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. Use the Mood Tracker.