Struggling with a Mixed Episode

@Oboeplaya94 definitely understand struggling with catching before the “point”. It sounds like you’re doing your best with what you’ve got, and that can be enough. With coping skills it’s so much learning as we go which can be alarming and scary but each time I go in with more knowledge and experience. What does help me so much is setting up obstacles and boundaries for myself. If in an episode or preferably when I can feel one coming on I call my 2 best friends and just tell them hey episode may start or I’m in one and ask them to check me. Not necessarily check in but more of an obstacle, check yourself before you wreck yourself, so I dont do something that is out of line with what is best for me. For instance in episodes, I have a pact with one of them that if I am about to shop/buy something I have to call them and basically sell them on the purchase and have a pre set spending budget that if I go over then I have to drink a glass of wine. Sounds odd but it increases inflammation for me so I rarely drink anymore and my friend is working on not drinking so much. So when she goes over a bottle in a week she has to send me $50 since I’m working on my impulse spending. That’s not forever or always just when we need that extra accountability to stick to the habits we’re trying to build while going through a rough time. My other best friend can just tell by the tone in my voice and either distract me with random facts and bullshitting or let me go in a spiral venting or talking until I’m calm. But bottom line they both know I’m bipolar and we’ve talked about how they can support me when I’m in an episode since we’ve already talked thru it outside of an episode so I’m not having to try and explain it while in the middle. Also martial arts helps me. Go hit stuff and get out of my head in a safe environment, not completely isolated but also not really time to talk. And then by the end of the class I’m tired and it’s much easier for me to decide to go home and take care of myself vs decide to do something else that involves more decisions or spending money or doing something I may regret later since my energy reserve is more depleted than it was before and the irritation lessens since doing martial arts for me is humbling and brings me back down to reality.