Tips on Bipolar Disorder and Planning

Last time I talked about why it’s so hard to plan ahead and stick to plans with bipolar disorder. Today’s article is devoted to tips that may help with planning and bipolar disorder.

Planning with Bipolar Disorder

• Plan anyway. Know that there is uncertainty and that things may change – drastically – between now and your plan, but plan anyway. Give yourself a point to aim for. You can’t have relationships, have a job or really be successful at all if you absolutely flat-out refuse to plan.
• Make plans that are reasonable for you. For me, it’s totally normal to go out with my friends for brunch on the weekend and then go home and work. But for someone else, those two things might not work well combined together. Don’t plan on scaling a mountain if walking up the stairs is as much as you can reasonably accomplish.
• Try to plan with a bit of flexibility. For example, rather than saying that you’ll be at a friend’s place at 5:00 p.m., try saying you’ll be there 5-ish.
• Work towards a plan like a goal. Don’t let plans just jump on your lap; actually plan for your plan. So, if I’m going to dinner with a friend one night, I might take a nap during the day so that I know I’m awake enough to really engage with her. Take the steps that you need to take to make your plan successful.
• Don’t hesitate to change the plan if you need to. Now, be careful with this one because if you change every plan, every time, you’re going to tick people off, but if, sometimes, you need to change times, locations, days or so on, it really is okay.
• Do it anyway. I know that sometimes the bed calls to us or the television lures us and that these options feel infinitely easier than working on a project or engaging with others. I get that. But, really, suck it up and do it anyway. (Beating Bipolar: Do What You Don't Want to Do) I’m not trying to be unkind, I’m just saying that sometimes we have to do things we don’t want and don’t feel like doing because, in the end, it’s best for us. You can’t always do this, but try to push yourself now and then.
• If you need to cancel plans, reschedule. Try not to cancel plans full-stop without substituting another plan. Don’t let yourself off the hook that easily.
• If you change plans, explain why (to some extent). Remember, if you change plans on a person he or she might think it’s him or her. It’s not. Make sure to explain that you just need to change plans for you; it’s not that you don’t want to see the other person.
• Don’t give up. Just because you couldn’t follow through on plans yesterday doesn’t mean that you won’t be able today. Remember, we can get worse any day but we can get better, too.

I guess what I’m saying is that you should treat planning like something important – because it is. It’s how we engage with others and engage with the world at large and, really, without that, not only will you be alone, but you’ll likely be sicker for it, too.

Do you know any tips on planning successfully with bipolar?

You can find Natasha Tracy on Facebook or Google+ or @Natasha_Tracy on Twitter or at Bipolar Burble, her blog.