Question on Interacting with People

Question from Kristin: How can I deal better with friendships, relationships at work, and other life interactions? I withdraw fearing that my moods are going to interfere with having good interactions with people. I feel lonely and want to have friends, but I just don’t have much faith in being able to do that successfully. How do people with BP make and keep friendships.  I also find maintaing good relationships with people at work very difficult sometimes. I never know when my mood will interfere.

Answer: Many people with BP work with a psychiatrist (pdoc) and a therapist (tdoc) to help them learn to monitor and manage how they react to people and situations in life. Sleeping well, taking your medication(s) as prescribed, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and minimizing stress are essential to gaining and maintaining stability.

Getting regular exercise and eating a healthy diet are extremely important. Getting the appropriate amount of sleep and keeping a regular sleeping schedule helps minimize episodes. Learning methods for coping with stress when it starts to become overwhelming is also extremely important.