After a whirlpool of moods upended my sense of self, I had to dig deep, practice self-care, and reclaim my confidence. You may be familiar with the Oscar Wilde quote: “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” But bipolar disorder can make it very hard to love ourselves and have high self-esteem,...

It’s important not to underestimate hypomania, which can cause me to make impulsive decisions that can have a lasting impact on my life and relationships. Bipolar depression affects my decision-making, specifically in terms of work; hypomania also has an impact on my decisions and especially affects my relationships. Mania is characterized by lack of impulse...

Self-care doesn’t have to be self-indulgent. It’s about taking time to invest in your own well-being, which is especially important if you have bipolar. I have learned many “dos and don’ts” for living with this mental health condition, ever since my diagnosis of bipolar 1 disorder nearly 30 years ago. It has taken me a...

Setting boundaries  — especially if you have bipolar — can transform your relationships into ones that are meaningful, successful, and happy. Boundaries are absolutely necessary to keep us safe, happy, and to help us maintain our mental well-being. This goes for people with or without bipolar. Boundaries are a system of proverbial “lines” we don’t...

Some bipolar mood episodes can cause behavior that is volatile. Here is how you can recognize these shifts before they damage your relationships. Many people believe that bipolar disorder comes with only sad depression or euphoric mania. In reality, this is just 50 percent of bipolar disorder. The other side of bipolar includes symptoms of...