#1 Limiting My News Exposure
I’m on hiatus from scrolling through my phone’s news feed. Instead of streaming news every day while I’m working, I’ve switched to music. Now, I listen to relaxing classic jazz to keep myself sane and stable.

Music soothes my mind and keeps me calm. If I feel the need to know what’s going on, I’ll allow myself only five minutes at a time to scan the headlines. I am not going overboard, spending hours digging deeper into long news stories or health updates that are simply repeating the same information. Instead, I quickly glean what I need to know, and then I move on.

The last thing I need to do right now is ruminate. Historically, that leads to depression, at least with me. I’m also automatically archiving all incoming email updates on current events. I can read them later if needed; reading them all right now is just going to make me more anxious.

#2 Practicing Mindfulness to Ease Bipolar Anxiety
Yoga balances my mood and improves my state of mind. Aside from the obvious physical benefits, I also find a yoga practice to be incredibly grounding. It strengthens my core in more ways than one. Both yoga and meditation enable me to practice mindfulness, which has been immeasurably powerful in my journey to stability. Mindfulness is a simple way to focus my thoughts, which makes it much easier to keep events in perspective.

#3 Self-Soothing for Stable Moods
Simple pleasures can have a huge impact on my happiness. Self-soothing is a very useful tool to help me stay stable. Small joys can make a big difference in my mood. For example, petting my cats is one of the best forms of therapy I’ve found. Taking a relaxing bath, sipping a cup of noncaffeinated floral or mint tea, or going on a walk can brighten my day. Just the act of doing something nice for myself can be therapeutic because it feels good to know I’m nurturing my soul.

#4 Getting Enough Sleep to Prevent Mood Episodes
Stress and anxiety take a huge toll on me, upsetting me to the point that I have a hard time falling and staying asleep. I toss and turn and sweat and have bad dreams. I cannot stress this enough: adequate sleep is crucial to bipolar mood stability. Lack of sleep is one of the fastest ways to trigger a manic episode.

My three-pronged approach to healthy and restful sleep:
Eyes: I wear an eye mask every night to keep myself in restful darkness, and I also use room-darkening curtains in my room. Too much light disrupts my circadian rhythms, and that wreaks havoc on my ability to get a restful amount of shut-eye.
Ears: I have a white noise machine by my bed (there are loads of free white noise phone apps available if you don’t have a machine of your own). The soothing sounds help drown out my racing thoughts. Sometimes, I switch it up and listen to calming rain or relaxing ocean waves.
Mind: I don’t watch stimulating TV shows or movies in the evening. I strictly avoid exposing myself to any news at that time, and I don’t look at my emails. Instead, I watch nature shows. (Recently, I’ve been indulging in British television’s Time Team, a documentary show about archeology. Strangely enough, an episode I saw just recently featured a veteran who overcame his PTSD by watching their team of scientists, “dig a hole and see what was in it.” Most episodes are available through subscription streaming services, and some are even available online for free. Plus, there are 20 seasons, so I’m not likely to run out anytime soon. And, even then, there is a new American version as well, Time Team America.)
#5 Powering Down Devices to Quiet My Mind
Sometimes I just have to turn off my phone if I want to feel stable. Whether I feel like I’m being blasted with the latest breaking news or with more mundane updates about social obligations, it can feel like the world is pressing down on me when I hear the repetitive alerts from my digital devices. I have found that taking a break from technology alleviates stress and allows my brain to slow down to a manageable speed. Quieting my phone lets me quiet my mind.

#6 Remembering That This Is Temporary
This will not last forever. I have an especially hard time seeing anything as temporary. My mind naturally goes to extremes even in everyday situations. That’s just how I’m wired. With me, I see things as “all or nothing,” and I frequently use words like always and never.

Given these uncertain times, I’ve found my thoughts snowballing as I imagined end-of-the-world scenarios filled with doom and gloom. But if I’ve learned anything from my talk therapy sessions, it’s this:

DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK.

Just because I think this way doesn’t mean it’s true. My bipolar brain is chemically built to catastrophize even normal situations. And with the latest developments worldwide, my mental illness has been amplified.

I have to keep telling myself not to listen to that little voice in my head. That little voice is a liar. I’m here to tell you, now, if you’re having these thoughts, don’t let them consume you. Things may change as a result of everything that is going on right now, but, in the end, humanity will get through this. This isn’t going to last forever.

Mental Health Matters, Especially Now
I am following the recommended safety guidelines, and I’m maintaining physical distance where appropriate—but I am being careful not to socially isolate to a level that I feel disconnected or alone. I’m taking my mental health seriously. I’m attending to my specific needs by caring for myself. And these are just a few strategies I’ve been trying to practice. Most importantly, I can reach out for help if I start feeling overwhelmed. None of us has to suffer in silence. No matter what’s going on around us, our mental health is just as important as our physical health.



Sources: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI); PBS; Journal of Affective Disorders