Bipolar Disorder and journaling, the two are either friends or enemies. Whether you have a mental illness or not journaling can be very advantageous to your mood and spirit. Some journal like they would a diary, others do to clear their heads. As Lord Byron said, “If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad.” Lord Byron is on the list of famous Bipolar Celebrities, by the way.
More often than not if you speak to someone who is Bipolar, especially if they are a writer, they journal. Many therapist and psychologists suggest mood journaling as a means of tracking the ups and downs of the illness. The irony of these journals is that when it comes time to use it as needed, it is really hard to get your little book out at make a record of what your mood rating is for the moment. This is especially true when you are in a state of rage or extreme sadness. It does seem to be much easier to write about feelings than to track a numbered rating system.
The system does work however. My suggestion is to find a simpler way to make it work for you. If you carry a purse record numbers in a little address book. Make it simple, so you can pull it out quickly and throw it back it. If you are like me, the reality is if an unpleasant mood is upon me, I am not thinking about charts and graphs.
If you just can’t bear to do the number system, than just write a one or two words describing the moods in the book. Or even better if you still have interest in journaling, do it. Go back later and rate your journal entries. Be careful, you do not need to read the entire entry- sometimes this can be a trigger. You can get an idea of where you were at probably by the first few sentences and the penmanship.
The diligence is worth it. Many times you can find a cycle to the madness. You may even be able to start anticipating your next down slope. If you are not a cyclical person you may still find that certain situations or events are triggering you and you have not been aware of it. It is really hard to be fully aware of all of moods all of the time. Yet, this is crucial when there is an illness present that has the ability to tangle them up so.
Prevention and attention can make all the difference in the lives of those with mood disorders. Take it from Lord Byron.
More often than not if you speak to someone who is Bipolar, especially if they are a writer, they journal. Many therapist and psychologists suggest mood journaling as a means of tracking the ups and downs of the illness. The irony of these journals is that when it comes time to use it as needed, it is really hard to get your little book out at make a record of what your mood rating is for the moment. This is especially true when you are in a state of rage or extreme sadness. It does seem to be much easier to write about feelings than to track a numbered rating system.
The system does work however. My suggestion is to find a simpler way to make it work for you. If you carry a purse record numbers in a little address book. Make it simple, so you can pull it out quickly and throw it back it. If you are like me, the reality is if an unpleasant mood is upon me, I am not thinking about charts and graphs.
If you just can’t bear to do the number system, than just write a one or two words describing the moods in the book. Or even better if you still have interest in journaling, do it. Go back later and rate your journal entries. Be careful, you do not need to read the entire entry- sometimes this can be a trigger. You can get an idea of where you were at probably by the first few sentences and the penmanship.
The diligence is worth it. Many times you can find a cycle to the madness. You may even be able to start anticipating your next down slope. If you are not a cyclical person you may still find that certain situations or events are triggering you and you have not been aware of it. It is really hard to be fully aware of all of moods all of the time. Yet, this is crucial when there is an illness present that has the ability to tangle them up so.
Prevention and attention can make all the difference in the lives of those with mood disorders.
Take it from Lord Byron.