What else is there to help

Ajoy17 · ‎10-11-2020

I’m 8 weeks into a depressive episode of bipolar I have a psychiatrist and psychologist as well as doing kinesiology. A mood stabiliser was added as I started depression but now going off it as it’s most likely causing agitated depression. I cry all the time and have 6 kids who are just taking over with my husband to get through. I also own a business which I’ve had to have staffed. I do some meditation and 10-15 minutes exercise a day but I feel so so emotional and empty and sad. I want to get back into life but don’t hardly leave the house and just sit around all day searching the internet for help. My chest is heavy and I feel lifeless. How can I change? What has worked for you please help ?

Sophie_M · ‎10-11-2020

Hey Ajoy17, welcome to the Beyond Blue forums. We're sorry to hear how empty and hopeless you are feeling at the moment. We know this mustn't be easy with six children to care for and a business to run. It's great to hear you are taking time out of your day to meditate and engage in 10-15 minutes of exercise. It's also an achievement that you acknowledge these feelings and are trying to seek help for them. We hope our community can help to answer your questions on how you might start to change these feelings and what has worked for them.

You might like to read over the "Staying Well" section of the forum including the Helpful books and resources and Grounding yourself, What is it and how do you?.

Our website also has a number of useful resources you might like to read:

If you feel that it would be beneficial to about your feelings with a counsellor, please, contact the Beyond Blue Support Service anytime on 1300 22 4636 or get in touch with us on Webchat 3pm-12am AEST here: www.beyondblue.org.au/getsupport.

Please check in and let us know how you are whenever you feel up to it.

white knight · ‎10-11-2020

Hi, welcome

I also have bipolar (2), depression, dysthymia. I overcame anxiety a long time ago by myself.

I'd like to say to persist with trying medications. I ended up trying 12 different meds before I found one with no side effects for me, plus a small amount of anti depressants which helps with the depression (too much can make you manic)

So, life has been good now for 10 years (I'm 64yo), effectively survived life till 54yo with ups and downs extreme in nature, extreme moods, easy triggers for depression and so on. They still come and go but the good news is that when finding the right meds, the swings are far less and you recover quicker. In fact stress plays a major part. Yesterday my wife, myself and her disabled mother went for a drive to the beach then went shopping at a country city- I flipped out on the way home- all too much and monitoring this element of fatigue is the challenge as it comes along very quickly.

Some of the steps I took in order to live a calmer life and have the time to relax is-

Sleep. A major component of mood swings can be not getting enough sleep. Any signs of sleep apnea is a warning- see your GP for a sleep study.
Toxic people- what we find toxic might not be the same as other people. If you have people that upset you or manipulate yo then reconsider your future with them in your life
Stress- running a business (yes I did in investigations) is rewarding but can be very stressful. Have short, medium and long term plans in this regard with your illnesses in mind.
Delegation- 6 kids would be a mammoth daily task for you both. Maximise your childrens chores for them to do. Small jobs might not seem enough to worry about- they are and better to delegate them off.
Me time. That might mean in your case a walk to a park for quietness. Listen to youtube videos (google my fav man Maharaji prem rawat sunset....he has many others.)
Seek out underlying issues. Not suggesting you have any but often we get couples that have issues not mentioned. I'll leave that for you to consider
Forum- professional help is essential but between consultations you can log on here and read something, be involved as much as you wish to be. Education on your illnesses is half the battle. The more you understand your illness the more likely you can predict a meltdown. "I'm not feeling well" to your hubby might be the clear message that you need time out.
Communication- as above.

I hope that helps.

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