Anti Depression Guide

Here are 7 ways to better manage your bipolar disorder in order to become more productive and effective in business and life:

1. Exercise-one of the most important factors in becoming a productive bipolar is to carry out a consistent program of aerobic exercise.  Exercise has been proven to be one to the most effective treatments in battling the depressive end of the bipolar spectrum and don’t worry if the slothfulness of depression makes it difficult to get out the door.  Even walking for 10-15 minutes 3-5 times per week can improve your mood in the short term.  There is even evidence that exercise can be effective in drug-resistant depressions and in one study comparing a group of depressed patients who were put on an exercise program with a group taking the anti-depressant Zoloft, the depressed group who took up exercise matched the mood improvements in the drug-group in the short-term and beat them with less chance of relapse in the long term!  If aerobic exercise isn’t your thing, activities such as yoga and Taekwondo have been shown to improve mood and lessen anxiety in cases of depression as well.
2. Eat a proper diet-A proper diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids (specifically eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA), folic acid and other B vitamins, and magnesium has been shown in studies to be an effective therapeutic supplement to typical medications in the treatment of bipolar disorder.  Supplementing your diet with the amino acid taurine has also shown some therapeutic values.  Avoid foods high in Omega-6 fatty acids which basically means do your best to cut out fried foods in your diet.  Many fried foods are cooked in soy oil which is very high in Omega-6 fatty acids.  Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids compete for absorption into the body so keep the bad acids to a minimum.  Also keep in mind that caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants are famous for antagonizing both depression and mania, so do your best to keep these to a minimum as well.
3. Take your medications as prescribed-those who suffer from bipolar disorder are famous for not taking their medications as prescribed.  The high energy, increased productivity, sharpened sense, and euphoria that can accompany manias in their early hypomanic stages can be very seductive to the bipolar.  And while stopping medications may seem like a great idea in the short-term, the amount of time required to recover from the effects of a full-blown mania and the major depressive episode that tends to follow nullify, by far, any gains made in the hypomanic stages.  We will learn in the course of this blog’s development to become productive bipolar sufferers while taking our medications as prescribed!  If this is an issue for you, go find yourself an accountability partner right now that will make sure you take your medications even when you feel you don’t need them.
4. Incorporate scheduled relaxation time into your life-stress is one of the most famous precipitants of manic and depressive episodes.  If you are bipolar you must incorporate some form of relaxation into your schedule.  Whether that be through exercise, taking up a hobby, or finding a way to reduce your workload (we’ll discuss strategies for this in the near future), it is imperative that you find ways to reduce stress in your life to avoid relapses.
5. Have a morning and evening routine-one very helpful technique that I’ve utilized in my own journey to becoming a productive bipolar is developing a routine, especially in the morning and evening.  It’s very important that you figure out how much sleep you need and try to get that much sleep every single night.  Admittedly I’m probably not qualified to discuss the topic of sleep as I typically only sleep from 4-5 hours per night but it works for me and I feel rested and ready to go after this much.  Most humans need 8 hours of sleep however so I’ll give an example of a morning and evening routine revolving around 8 hours of rest.  I find the time before bed and first thing in the morning to be my times of rather frenetic energy.  I don’t know why this is but my moods cycle rather rapidly so I’ve found that by employing CALMING routines during these times to be effective first off, by making sure I get the amount of sleep I require and secondly, have my days tasks planned to I can focus on the most important tasks first thing in the morning.  In the evening I recommend a very calming routine that usually lasts for about 30-45 minutes.  First off prepare any lunches you may need to prepare for the next day and then lay out whatever clothing you choose to wear the following day.  After you’ve done this, decide what your 2 most important tasks are for the following day.  If you can, it’s best to work on these tasks first thing in the morning right after you complete your morning routine.  Remember to try to keep your most important task (MITs) to a maximum of 2 if possible to avoid being unable to focus your energies typical of bipolars who try to fit to much in one day.  Next, review your day in light of the MITs you’ve completed that day.  I’ve found a remarkably calming