Living Mindfully with Bipolar Disorder
Stress is the main cause of the manic/depressive cycles in Bipolar Disorder. Living a life of Mindfulness is one of the best things someone with BD can do for themselves. Mindfulness teaches us to stay centered on the moment, concentrating on the present without thoughts or feelings about the past or the future. Worrying about the things that have or will happen creates undue stress about things in which you have no control over. This is important to someone with Bipolar Disorder. Stressing over the past or future can exasperate the disease. Staying within the present, and giving past thoughts and actions no meaning, enables us to live fully in the present. It keeps us grounded, which is what someone with BD needs to be.
Mindfulness teaches us to treat our thoughts with kindness. Notice them, but do not try to change or push them away. Except them for what they are and let them move along. Mindfulness can help with the racing thoughts of someone with BD by teachings us to acknowledge that the thoughts are there and treating them with kindness, without giving them any importance. They are not good or bad they are just simply thoughts and nothing more. One way to achieve this is by Mindful Meditation.
Mindful Breathing is the meditation that I use. Sitting in a quiet place, you close your eyes and concentrate on the breaths you take. The breath in and the breath out is all you notice. When thought pop into your head, bring your self back to the breaths in and the breaths out. Once you are able to master this without any thoughts coming to your mind, you will be able to take this with you anywhere when dealing with stressful situations or racing thoughts. This meditation keeps you grounded in the present and helps block out the racing thoughts.
When dealing with Bipolar Disorder, being able to control stress and control the thoughts in our head, is a huge step in treating this disease. The next time you start feeling out of control, remember to pay attention to the breath in and the breath out.
Two thoughts cannot coexist at the same time: if the clear light of mindfulness is present, there is no more room for mental twilight - Nyanaponika There
