I’ve written about the importance of regular routines including sleep times and morning routines, but really what has helped me the most is getting my evening routine in order. To be honest, it unfolds over hours but knowing what is coming next has eased my currently hectic life into something resembling order.
The greatness of the evening routine is that it winds me down but also permits the opportunity to prepare for the following day. Since my schedule is a bit odd, I have two evening routines. The first routine starts about 8:30 p.m., just after dinner which is when Husband, Miri and I enjoy some family time. (more…)
Routines. Schedules. These are the words that make more artists shudder. But as a mother, a business woman and someone with bipolar, I recognize that there is power in the proper implementation of routines.
In fact, regular routines especially regarding sleep cycles can seriously help reduce the occurrences of manic and depressive episodes in bipolar patients (Psych Central). It’s pretty well-known that people with bipolar have more highly sensitive circadian rhythms than the average person which means that disrupting that cycle can have much greater consequences. But what if a patient were to take this concept a step further and make daily routines essential to every day life? (more…)
Since becoming a mother, my daily routine has gone to crap. Seriously. It seemed like everything I tried would only further frustrate me, including my sudden obsession with waking up early to get work done before Miri was up and ready to start her day. As a person with bipolar, my moods were all over the place.
After a month or so of trying - rather desperately - to be an early riser waking as early as 5 a.m. to implement at least a resemblance of a respectable daily routine that hinged on waking up at that time, I have come to realize that it just doesn’t work for me. I am a night owl by nature and the more I fight it, the more sleep-deprived I am which means the more the bipolar is aggravated. Trying to change one’s biological tendencies is always a losing battle: it is a matter of understanding your biology and make it work for you. (more…)
