Any bipolars rapid cyclers?

They say I am one of them. I can sleep, my thoughts are clear, no chronic pain. I don't worry about it. Just not worrying, taking naps, avoiding stress and even potential stress, Guinness, massages all those things help meds are useful and needed sometimes with lifestyle adjustments,I think most BP rapid cycling folks can have happy, sort of normal, productive lives I'm thinking about what exactly I put in my book when I write it. Im thinking, one third history and commiseration, one third practical things that have worked for me, and one thrid hope and inspiration. So we got dealt a bad hand, it doesn't mean lose the game.

I am bipolar, but not a rapid cycler, but my son is. Dealing with him is exhausting. There are a few things that we learned while he was in occupational therapy that may help you. One of the biggest things that helped my son was using a hand held soft bristled scrub brush, and running up and down his hands, arms, legs, etc, twice a day. It just had a calming effect, but still a stimulating effect, so it kind of balances him out. We have found that a very consistent routine, from getting ready in the mornings for school till the end of the day when it is time to get ready for bed, also helps. Then he knows exactly what is expected, and then we see less cycling during those periods. And anything outside of that routine really creates problems. Like in school, they have had state testing last week, which upset his class routine. There we are seeing alot of issues with rapid cycling. If you have a consistent routine then you know what to expect and how you will respond to it. If the response causes cycling, try to pinpoint exactly what triggered the cycling. Then you can work through the issue alot better. Also, if you have a mind set of how you will deal with an issue, you are better able to slow down your cycling. I started out being diagnosed as Bipolar I, but as time has gone by, and stresses have increased, we are seeing more symptoms that change the diagnosis. While I don't cycle as rapidly as my son, I attribute that to counseling, which does help. They give you better ways to deal with things, that help you stay more even, or normal. It was explained to me that you go high(h) low(l) and normal(n). For me it is hhhlllnnnlllnnnhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. For my son it is hlhlhlhlhlnhlhlhlhlhn. He very rarely ever hits a normal state.

I am a rapid cycler. I have been in hospital and have overdosed several times. I have not been stable since September or longer. For the past few months, it has reeked havic on my sleep. I feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster. We are playing with meds and I see my doctor every two weeks. Hopefully something will settle soon.

Counseling does give us bipolars some tips to handle rapid cycling. Nothing is fool proof, but counseling is often dismissed thinking it won't help. I go to counseling once a month, and with medication too, it truly makes a difference.

Music and cleaning, this can distract me from stressful thoughts. I take valproic acid. What do you take? Do you suffer from anxiety while you lay down to sleep? Do you have nightmares every night?

I basically just try to take them one day at a time. When I am in a particularly bad phase, I try to make sure that I have enough distractions to keep me occupied so that I won't dwell on it too much. That is actually one of the reasons whey I started my second blog. I found the posting to be somewhat therapeutic to me.;-) It is rather exhausting with dealing with my own bipolar and then my sons on top of it as we are both rapid cyclers, but somehow we manage without killing each other, figuratively of course. ;-)