Let me tell you, as someone with bipolar, ADHD and occasional crippling anxiety…habits is a curse word more often than not. I have written about how I love meditation and yoga, although meditation sometimes feels impossible with an unruly brain. I’m trying to get back into it, I promise! I wanted to share a few things I use, to help keep me centered and productive, even when my depression causes some crippling executive dysfunction!
1. I love my day planner. Back in Hawaii Dec 2018, I found an adorable day planner. I had never used one, despite my love of lists. I decided that in order to take back my life and infuse life back into my business, I needed to try and become more organized. My planner saved my butt, on more than a dozen occasions. When I’m in an “Up,” I sit and plan things I know I want to do in the coming weeks. I plan months in advance for things I’ll want to take care of, even when I’m depressed. I just got a new planner for 2020 that I am SO EXCITED to whip out. I got it from Erin Condren, custom designing it and everything! HIGHLY recommend!
2. Journaling. Man, journaling has saved my mentality on more than a trillion occasions. I write about things that bother me, more often than not. I use the time to dig into my brain and discover the motivation for behaviors and thought patterns. Sometimes, all I write is a paragraph. Sometimes, I fill pages with words. I’m able to keep up with it, even during my depressive phases.
3. Taking my meds every morning first thing. I know this sounds like an UHH DUH moment, but as someone with bipolar, it’s easy to go “well I feel better, who needs this anymore?” I hate taking pills, but my meds have saved my butt. My swings are manageable, my feelings controllable. Taking my meds every day is absolutely vital!
4. Stretching. UGH I hate stretching. Not even kidding. It hurts, every time. However, it hurts more if I don’t stretch before bed. I toss and turn if I don’t, which causes rough sleep…which causes mood swings. NO THANK YOU. Just taking six-seven minutes to stretch makes all the difference!
5. Organizing my inbox. Okay, I don’t know how others do this…but I sometimes let my inbox get out of control. I feel more centered when I go through, organize the emails, check on ones that haven’t received a response or take care of things I haven’t tackled yet. I often leave emails marked unread, to keep myself on point. This backfires if I don’t sift through the emails for weeks…but it’s better than nothing I suppose!
What are some habits that keep you going? Share in the comments!
