I can relate to this article, having being diagnosed with bipolar I, and having had an extended manic phase (with psychosis) in which I was actually trying to s

I can relate to this article, having being diagnosed with bipolar I, and having had an extended manic phase (with psychosis) in which I was actually trying to save myself: - eating well - todo lists - self discipline - sports - stopping drugs / coffee / alcohol I'm kind of "scared" of these things now, but also realize that they are, while not the complete solution, necessary ingredients to living a "normal" life. It took me 28 years to realize that you could have a regular sleep schedule and daily routine for example. It's these kind of "symptoms" that I find very hard to share with "normal" people, who just can't see how that is that big of a problem. The funny thing is that all of this further fueled my mania, but on the other hand, it also made me check in with a psychiatrist. I'm now on lamotrigine, which makes living seem so easy now. Yet I can skip a day of pills, and drink maybe a bit too much coffee and sleep badly, and it's all there again. Only now I have a baseline I can come back to. I don't think the article sounds too manic. I'm a bit wary of the new agey "that's what all people should do with our method" thing, while it really is a "common sense" that is shared by pretty much all cultures on the planet (eat healthy, sleep, exercise, don't worry too much), but it's cool. while I didn't have much one-on-one therapy, I went to a "psychoeducation" group about bipolar with about 10 other afflicted individuals, and basically, the most important thing really is to have these checklists: eat healthy, sleep healthy, don't drink alcohol, don't drink coffee, try to sleep more than 4 hours a night, try to sleep less than 12 hours a night, and write yourself reminders so you won't forget them.