Bipolar Disorder: How do you counteract your highs and lows apart from taking medication?

I strictly regulate my sleep patterns. It is a total pain but this helps the most at regulating my moods.

I also try my best not to get sucked into stressful situations. I try to stay out of other people's drama.

Unfortunately, once the pendulum is swinging wide I have not found anything other than meds to counteract the highs and lows. Once I'm stable then it helps tremendously to watch my sleep patterns and avoid stress.

Well, Bipolar is very difficult to manage without some sort of medication. I take anti-depressents because I suffer with Bipolar as well but mostly suffer from depression. I try to exercise 5 times a week for an hour or maybe a bit less. I "ride out" the bad days by thinking "this day shall pass too" which my Bipolar Grandmother always said. I try not to dwell on my Bipolar too much today is one of those days where I feel totally indescribable.. I call that my Bipolar feeling.

I'm not bipolar but have been in a relationship with some one who is for the past 4 and half years. Living together a year and half. I can tell when hes in his highs he gets kinda hyper. Also wants to do everything. Hes very busy!...He tries to stay in the house (mostly so he doesn't end up spending money). Cleans or works on a project. When hes in his lows he wants left alone or just kinda hides under a blanket and watches TV. Some times he does try to out side and sit in the sun. Or work on that project so he can get his mind away from being upset.
His project seem to really help even if its just cleaning out the closet or his car something like that just to keep his mind busy.
He doesn't take any meds. Mostly because they make him emotionless.

For the depression: A multidimensional approach to treating depression without medication follows. All except for no. (7.) are safe to use with medication, but not St. John's wort, because of interactions, and it's sensible to check out anything else first with your doctor.

(1.) Take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or grapefruit, or their FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it.

(2.) Work up slowly to at least 20 minutes minutes of exercise, daily, or 30 - 60 mns, 5 times weekly. Too much exercise can cause stress, which isn't wanted when dealing with depression.

(3.) Occupational therapy (keeping busy allows little time for unproductive introspection, and keeps mental activity out of less desirable areas of the brain).

(4.) Use daily, one of the relaxation methods in sections 2, 2.c, 2.i, or 11, and/or yoga, Tai Chi, and/or the EFT, in sections 2.q, 2.o, and section 53, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris whichever works best for you.

(5.) Initially, at least, some form of counselling, preferably either Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavio(u)ral Therapy.

(6.) Maintain a mood chart, and daily activities schedule, as per page Z.13, in section 2, at ezy build.

(7.) As options, if desired, either a known, effective herbal remedy, such as St. John's wort, 900 mg (standardised hypericin content) 3 times daily, totalling around 2,700 mg, or supplements, such as SAMe, taken with a vitamin B complex which is certified as being 100% of natural origin, or Inositol (from vitamin and health food stores, some supermarkets, or mail order: view section 55).

Also, 80% of people in the Western world have low magnesium levels, and these are known to cause depression & anxiety. Try the magnesium supplement types shown in http://www.real-depression-help.com/ Some of these will be available in pharmacies, or supermarkets.

An improvement can be noticed in as little as a week, if a deficiency is the cause. Also, iodised salt is preferable to regular salt. This is a shortened version of the much more comprehensive post, which may be seen on page Z.13, in section 2 of ezy build, above, but to gain full appreciation, it's really best to view the whole of section 2.

BIPOLAR: PAGE J. BIPOLAR DISORDER TREATMENT: SUPPLEMENTS.
HERBS FOR BIPOLAR(K) TREATING BIPOLAR DISORDER WITH HERBS.
VITAMINS FOR BIPOLAR TREATING BIPOLAR DISORDER WITH VITAMINS.
MINERALS FOR BIPOLAR TREATING BIPOLAR DISORDER WITH MINERALS. are some topics from section 10, at ezy build.

If a trial period of, say , 6 months, proves them to be inadequate, in your case, medication becomes the only real solution, but at least you can reduce the amount required.

if you are aware you have this, you can try and cope. you have to realize what's happening, and try and deal with life knowing that. i am not sure there are any tricks. you just try and deal with whatever happens the best you can.

bipolar responds well to meds that help even out the cycles. i tried drug free for a long time, but why suffer through when there are meds that can help?

Sometimes you can tell your cycling from high to low and sometimes you can't. I would have a friend you trust help you out. Sometimes the right support system can help .. at least in the depression phase..

Exercise or really active activities for the highs and talking to my mum or a counsellor for the lows/ watching DVDs or reading.