A contributor to our Bipolar Blog recently shared her story of living with Bipolar II and how a vegan diet along with 5-HTP and exercise helps her maintain mood stability. That got me thinking that it might be interesting and helpful to hear from others about what works (and what hasn’t) for them.

We’re all on a bipolar journey, and everyone travels a different path. Hearing what works and what doesn’t can often keep others off dead-end roads and provide shortcuts to more effective treatments so they feel better sooner.

Please share. What’s your diagnosis? What works for you – medication and non-medication? What hasn’t worked in the past?

Note: This is just for people with bipolar disorder. On Thursday, family and friends of those with bipolar will have their chance to share.

Photo by Martin Cathrae, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

In Bipolar Disorder For Dummies and on this blog, we have recommended numerous lifestyle and environmental changes someone can take to feel better with bipolar disorder. Readers have contributed some of their own ideas and suggestions to keep the conversation going.

While nutritional changes, mindfulness, exercise, and other such interventions don’t treat bipolar disorder, these can be important tools for making you feel better overall. Sometimes, these interventions can even reduce symptoms; for example, mindfulness can be helpful in the treatment of depression and anxiety, while exercise can boost moods.

We thought it might be interesting and fun to try something together. Making lifestyle and environmental changes is hard, so it’s usually best to make small, manageable changes – something you can do and succeed at, so you gain a sense of mastery and the encouragement to try more new things.