Triggers

I know that anyone and everyone with BP or other mentall illneses knows what a trigger is. They are the little things that set you off. Things that other people may not think are annoying, but drive you insane! For some it's a lot of noise, certain kinds of music, lighting, the way people eat, or even certain facial expressions. Everyone's trigger is different, the key is to identify exactly what your triggers are (and i say triggers because most people have more than one) and then finding a way to help you cope with them. That's especially necessary if yours tends to be a day to day problem. I know what works for me personally is listening to music. I listen to my music and drown out everything else. I focus on the artists voice, and let it flow through me so to speak. That might work for someone who gets bothered by a lot of noise. For example, my brother gets highly annoyed at my much younger brothers whenever they make a lot of noise, because noise is a huge trigger for him. What bothers him is the stuff all young little kids do, so it's impossible and unrealistic to stop them from doing what little boys do. The way he deals with it (after he's done shouting) is to go into his room and listen to his favorite band (sometimes louder than the rest of the family likes, but hey whatever works) that immediately calms him down. Like some people he is also sensitive to some kinds of lighting, he carrys a pair of sunglasses around with him so he can dimm any bright lights, and he almost always wears a hat, which helps shade his eyes. Eash person is different and what works for me and my brother may not work for you, but my advice is to try incorporating the things you like to do or hobbys you have to help cool you down when you feel irritated, or can feel yourself starting to get worked up. Also, try to think of all possible situations where there might be a trigger, and come up with a plan on what you or/and you parent can do to help you get out of the situation without too much damage done. Because lets face it, your not always going to be in your comfort zone when these things happen especially if your like me and they always seem to happen at the most inconvienent times, so what i recommend is to have an out. Figure out a way to tell your parents your gonna go into code yellow before you hit code red and they can help you, because from personal experience when you have a melt down its not fun for anybody. So, try out different solutions to your problem untill you find the right one, and don't stop untill you do. Because things always go smoother when everyones happy!

Should I tell my friends I have BP?

Your decision to tell others you have BP is exactly that, your decision. No one else can/should make it for you. No one should be forced into telling someone they have BP. Every person suffering from BP has to make the decision of wether or not to tell their friends at some point in there life. Its especially hard for teens to tell their friends they have BP. I guarentee every teen has asked themselves at one time or another "Should i tell my friends i have bipolar disorder?" i know i did. Many many times. Sometimes many times in one week alone. I was very self conscious about it, to the point where i would have anxiety attacks. In fact the first time i told a friend from school i had BP was after she wittnessed a minor melt down and asked me what was wrong. I broke down and told her everything which to my delight did not make her laugh or make fun of me, which had been my fear of what might happen, instead it made her more supportive and understanding. Ironically my brother was the complete opposite. He didn't care if everyone in the world knew. Which wasn't always good for me because he also didn't care if everyone in the world knew his sister had BP too. Thankfully my mother told him something which i think applys very well here. She said its great that your comfortable enought to let people know that you have BP, but that's how you feel. Your sister doesn't want anyone to know. If she wants to tell someone she has BP then she will, but she'll tell them herself. What i brought away from that experience is everyone is different. Some teens will have no problem telling their friends, while others may not want to tell them at all. Also, the way you feel may change as you grow older (or as your mood swings change). My brother and i switched places as we got older. Now he isn't as willing to tell just anyone he has BP, and now i obviously feel way more comfortable about it. To the point of wanting to tell other people instead of wanting to keep it to myself. It wasn't until i was older that i realized if the person i told was a true friend then i had nothing to worry about. If the person your calling a friend is a true friend then they will support you no matter what, and if their not and they do react negatively then it's their loss, not yours. But no matter what one thing never changes. The choice is yours.

New Beginning

Sorry, i haven't written anything in a while. I got preoccupied with school starting, and have been meaning to write something new. First i'd like to admit that for a while i wasn't even sure if i wanted to keep this blog up, becuase i wasn't sure if what i was writing was going to make a difference or if anyone was even reading what i wrote. Then i realized that i was being stupid! The whole reason i started this blog was so that i could help other teens with BP in any way i can, and no matter who reads this what i have to say is important and i can't do nothing when i know i can be doing something. So i'm back on track and planning on posting new blogs frequently. Just thought you'd like an update.

Tips For School

School is a stressful environment to every teen, but especially to teens with bipolar disorder. Every day is difficult. Of course each teen is different, and will react differently in different situations, but one thing is the same for all, school is a challenge. But there are things you can do to help yourself through the day. One of the first things you should do is find a "safe room". A place where you can go if your feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, or on the verge of a melt down. Maybe the library, the nurses office, or a teacher that you get along with and understands you. My "safe room" was my art teachers class. I went there if i was stressed out, overwhelmed, or just needed to get away. Sometimes just getting out of the classroom and going somewhere that you like an makes you feel comfortable can mean the difference between a good or bad day. Then after you feel in control again return to class, or stay there until class is over if you know that by returning to that situation you'll just be in the same state you left in. Just knowing that there is somewhere you can go to is helpful. It gives you an out. If you can't go to your "safe room" at that exact moment then try alternatives. Stepping out of the room and getting a drink from the water fountain, or putting your head down on your desk. It's always a good idea to talk to your teachers about how bipolar disorder effects you individually. Tell them what you know sets you off, so they can help prevent potential problems. For instance, my brother gets overwhelmed by large amounts of work. If a teacher gives him a pack of worksheets and tells him its all due on Friday he shuts down and gets in the frame of mind that he can't do it. Even if he has enough time to do it, because he's been given it all at once he's too overwhelmed to work on it. But if the teacher gave him the same amount of work in smaller portions throughout the week he can finish it. The same could work for you. By talking to your teacher and figuring out ways to avoid a breakdown then your day will go much smoother.

Helping yourself

Most people don't understand what bipolar is or what having it means. The people who do are generally the people who have it or a family member of someone who does. They are the people who care the most. Having bipolar disorder is a challenge, especially for teenagers. The teen years are hard enough without problems, and then when you add in things like bipolar disorder, social anxiety, and depression it becomes an even harder challenge. Bipolar disorder affects people differently. Two people with bipolar disorder can have completely different symptoms and some are more severe than others. For example, both me and my brother have bipolar disorder, but it affects us differently. Some things that don't bother me set him off, and vice versa. I have more anxiety problems than him, and he has more irritation problems than me. Everyone is different, but learning and understanding what bipolar disorder is and how it affects you personally is a good way to understand what you can do to help yourself. If you know what bothers you and sets you off then you can try to find a way to deal with it. For example, when I'm upset over something I listen to music to help me calm down. If you have social anxiety, or don't do well in large groups of people you might find that leaving the room and finding a quiet place to wind down will help you deal. Or if you tend to get angry a lot maybe what works for you is to stop and count to ten, or go do something else entirely. Everyone reacts to things differently the key is to find out what helps you personally.

Begining blog

This is my first blog so it might be a little rough, but just bear with me. I want to start this blog so i can put my voice out there, whether it gets heard or not. I'm not completely sure where this blog will go or even if anyone will read it, but it's as much for me as it is for others. I have one bipolar sibling and a bipolar father so i know firsthand that it can be rough not only for yourself, but for others around you also. I think that talking about your problems and hearing that others are going through the same thing is important. When i first heard i had bipolar disorder, and understood what it meant i felt completely alone. Even though i had others there to support me i still felt like nobody understood what i was going through. And not everyone did, but it helped tremendously when i knew that there were others out there going through the same problems and that i wasn't the only one in the world to have bipolar disorder. I want others to hear and know that too. I strongly believe that everyone suffering from bipolar should learn everything they can about there disorder, and educate themselves on there options. So I'll try to put pieces of info. that i think would be helpful and interesting to others in later blogs. I want to hear what others think also so feel free to leave a comment about anything you feel is important. Gotta go now, but I'll try to blog more at a later date, and hopefully get the hang of this.