How to Battle a Bipolar Depression in Mood

I started the day off with these three Tweets:

MyBigFatBipolar @ Twitter

1. Slept in for mom's day. Got sweet gifts from family. Still, feel teary & numb Why? Hub and I not getting along. Got a bad bipolar sad today.

2. I miss my mom.

3. Now crying. Also think I may have accidentally taken Seroquel instead of a Wellbutrin. I guess we'll know if I fall asleep. 

So another morning with mild / medium depression. Maybe I was depressed because I missed my mother today, or because my husband and I have been arguing or because I was not very physically active yesterday. Whatever the cause, and regardless of whether I took the right meds, I wanted to avoid becoming more depressed.

I could have done anything I wanted to today, Mother's Day. Curling up with a book sounded good, or even going back to bed and having a super lazy day. But those are not choices that would get me out of my depressed mood. Instead I made choices to do activities that usually help me move towards a more balanced mood--hard physical work in the garden and a bike ride with my family. Solitude would have been nice too, but would not have been as helpful in boosting my mood.

Now I feel tired but good. I gave depression the slip by being active and spending time with others.

Bipolar Stats:

• Level of Mania (on scale of 1 - 10, with 1=none, 10=practically levitating): 0
• Level of Depression (on a scale of 1 - 10, with 1=none, 10=can't get out of bed): morning 7 / aft 4
• Medication Compliance (0 = not taking, 5=taking some, 10=taking all): 5 (not sire took right meds today)
  

I am recording my mania and depression bipolar data separately because I often have mixed episodes where manic and depressive symptoms occur at the same time.

This blog is for informational purposes only, it is not intended to be used for the treatment of mental illness. If you are having emotional troubles, please see a mental health professional, not a computer.