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r/bipolar•
webzsci

Meditation tips for bipolar?

I have been diagnosed for some time. I have tried a number of things, meds, life-style changes, etc. Just like many of you on here, I have been up and down but I am finally ready to make sacrifices to be ok. I am now making a few big life changes and want to incorporate meditation as part of me well-being approach. Does anyone have any experience with meditation? What forms work best? And can you point to some resources. Thank you all!

Edit: Thanks for all the great tips! Wish me luck :D

Posted May 27, 2013, 5:00 PM UTC · edited

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5par7acu5Bipolar 2•

I found the mindfulness for dummies book to be very useful.

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lady_lady_LADY•

My doctor recommended "the miracle of mindfulness" for me to read. Bought it, along with "Learned Optimism"... Maye someday I'll get to reading them. (I am bipolar and I have ADHD)...

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josh64•

Learned Optimism is a great book! It changed my life :-)

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5par7acu5Bipolar 2•

Cool! Two recommendations ... I'll check out Learned Optimism as well.

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5par7acu5Bipolar 2•

I found committing to reading for an hour a day (although ADHD might make that tougher) helped me get through my reading. No more (even if you get into the groove and want to keep going) and no less (even if you aren't in the mood ... try reading slower but do it for an hour). Less important than actually reading on any particular day is building the habit of reading every day. If an hour is too long, go for a shorter amount of time but try to stay as consistent as possible. Having said that, it's always easier said than done BUT its better than having no strategy. In my case, I'm going for an hour a day however, over the past 38 days, I've averaged just 22 minutes a day :P

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lady_lady_LADY•

I'll have to try that! My husband and I were trying to figure out a system to do a "no electronics" hour, reading could play into that too.

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Yakety_Sax•

I can never seem to be able to meditate, my mind is just all over the place and will eventually be taken over by manic or depressive thoughts, but I love yoga. It is really all about the mind and body connection. After 30 minutes, it becomes so strenuous that all you can focus on is your body, how your muscles feel, maintaining a pose. It does take you to the "Be here now" mentality because if you're mind is elsewhere, you fall.

Also, this only really works for me in a yoga class with an instructor. You need to be able to keep up with the pace and really push yourself. Doing it at home with a DVD doesn't really work, especially if you're new to it.

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eidolontreeBipolar NOS•

I have had astonishing luck with isochronics and binaural beats, mostly in the form of apps on my phone. During stressful times, I find that if I can break away for 5-15 minutes, flip my phone into airplane mode, and focus only on the isochronics or binaural beats, I'll give myself time to reassemble myself. It won't help if I'm super manic or depressed, it's more for upkeep, I think.

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webzsciOPBipolar 2•

Haven't tried this yet. I will give it a shot this week. Thank you!

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eidolontreeBipolar NOS•

My favorite isochronics tend to be from albums (so I bought one album, didn't feel like I needed more), but I also use AmbiSci 100 for iphone, and that does well when I don't feel like listening to a premade track. For binaural beats, I prefer an app called Meditation. Binaural beats will only work with headphones or very good speakers.

If you have trouble sleeping, I recommend Pzizz. I essentially bought all forms of pzizz, I was so impressed with its usefulness.

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BradleyNowellLivesF**k this s**t•

Meditation helps me bunches. I practice zazen meditation. If you find it difficult to concentrate, count your breaths until you are in your floaty state. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's worth a shot. Good luck :)

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webzsciOPBipolar 2•

Thank you! I have been doing this for a few weeks now. About a year ago I attended a group that had two zazen periods with a period of kinhin in between. This took hours and it was my very first time...I stopped because it sucked so much. I am starting again but doing it very gradually :) I would like to stick to it long-term.

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Jessbot3000•

I have an app on my phone that I think is pretty awesome. It's guided, but before I found that one I just listened to nature sounds and just tried to wall everything out. I found the Mindfold eye mask on Amazon, and while it's horrible for sleeping, it's perfect for meditation (what it's actually designed for). Also, more recently I've started doing yoga in the morning (using another free app) and I've noticed a significant difference, especially on days I don't do it.

The meditation app is called Take a Break, and the yoga app is called Daily Yoga (both for iPhone).

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webzsciOPBipolar 2•

I just tried Take a Break-I looked it up after reading your comment. I like it. As my iPhone is the one thing I rarely forget, it will be super useful to have this app around. Thank you!

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