Finding Healthy Coping Mechanisms for Emotional Distress

Routine and proper care are more like a preventative. I don't have bipolar disorder, but I have relatively similar conditions. . ENVIRONMENT: Get out of the environment you are in during an episode! Go outside, walk away from negativity & triggers. Surround yourself with the (positive) people you want to be like (hence the saying you become who you surround yourself with). . MONSTER UNDER THE BED: Don't trust the thoughts you have after 9 o' clock at night. At night, especially when you're alone, your thoughts are more likely to have a negative overcast. If you take medicine at night, your medication for the day has probably started to wear off. This can also be because you're flat out tired (think of a kid crying when they are tired - as an adult, still feel like garbage when you're sleep deprived). . ACTIVITIES: Activities or hobbies practiced regularly can help keep emotions in check. Doing yoga, meditating daily, painting, hiking, paintballing, watching movies or TV series, reading (even a picture book or blog), volunteering, etc. . SHORT TERM DISTRACTIONS: This can be listening to music, deep breathing, using fidget toys, stressballs, having a cup of tea, writing, scribbling, sitting outside. Anything positive that doesn't take too long and is mostly free is best lol. . My biggest problem is stress, your local medical center may provide relaxation classes! Take a look or watch some on YouTube. (How to rid stress from your life)

Your mental, emotional, and physical aspects of yourself are VERY closely intertwined. If one is off, the others will be too. Start by taking proper care of yourself. Exersize 3x or more a week, body shower daily, full shower (with hair) every few days, brush teeth 2x a day, floss once a day, get 8 hours of rest, eat nutritious food, etc. Your body loves ROUTINE, so build a routine and try to stick with it as best you can. By this, I mean trying to wake up and go to bed around the same time every day, eating your meals at the same time every day, and taking your medicine at the same time every day.