Routine is the unsung hero of bipolar stability. It helps with medication compliance and sleep. The two most important factors of sanity. I recently had a depressive episode that I was hospitalized for, and leading up to the episode my routine was off. For a while leading up to the episode my sleep schedule kept shifting. Becoming later and later. And my wake schedule became earlier and earlier. Then I would crash and sleep like 10-12 hours. I blamed the summer sun, how it lingers in the sky well past when I need to sleep. While this is true the greater threat to my routine was social media. I would start scrolling in the evening, sometimes as early as 6pm and still be scrolling at midnight. My sleep hours, for the most part were still okay but the consistent time to bed and out of bed were varying wildly.

Routine being off is a definite red flag for bigger problems. Like many of the rules of living with bipolar disorder when routine isn’t adhered to it becomes a symptom as well in a vicious cycle. You may be thinking that this is a militant attitude towards life and self-care, but if you had as severe bipolar disorder as myself you would also be trying to find every tool to keep yourself sane. Because I have the type of mania where I will burn the world to the ground. Sometimes literally. Even on meds.

The doctors, therapists, experts, etc… have told me how important routine is since I was first diagnosed in 2001 at the age of 19. It’s only in the last year that I’ve truly taken this advice to heart. I don’t have to be completely rigid in my routine, outside of sleep/wake schedule, but I need to have basic self-care, treatment, and part-time work in a schedule. Whether I’m hypo-manic or depressed I will forget to fulfil my basic needs. As basic as eating and sleeping. I’ll definitely not clean, my body or my environment.

Since starting back on a healthy routine going to sleep around 9:45pm and waking at 6:15am my moods have started to improve.¹ Going forward I will be more aware of my triggers/symptoms and when they are trending to mania or depression I will make adjustments and reach out to my support system and medical professionals to get back on track.

1. Note: The episode had so many more factors than routine. Routine is a huge aspect of it though. Med changes have also helped pull me out of the depression. Routine helps maintain the stability the meds have given. ↩︎