15: Lift Your Mood: Managing Bipolar Disorder with Medication and Exercise

Welcome to another episode of Lifting with Bipolar! Our guest for today is Polina, a psychiatric physician assistant who also has personal experience with bipolar disorder. Today, we are going to talk about managing bipolar disorder and how you can do it with acceptance, medication, exercise, and a supportive network. Polina shares her personal story of struggling with accepting her diagnosis initially and how it affected her life. But she quickly realized the importance of seeking treatment from mental health professionals and sticking to medication plans. She highlights the difficulty that many patients face in accepting their diagnosis but emphasizes that it's essential to know and accept the diagnosis to lead a healthier life. Both Jonathan and Polina discourage the use of illicit substances like marijuana and its negative effects on mental health. Instead, they recommend leading a sober and healthy lifestyle and surrounding oneself with supportive people who also value such a lifestyle. Polina discusses her experience with substance use and how it has affected her bipolar disorder, highlighting the importance of avoiding it. Polina stresses the therapeutic nature of consistent exercise and how it improves overall mood, calling it a critical part of the medication regimen. Polina goes into detail on the benefits of hiring a personal trainer, emphasizing that it provides proper guidance, efficiency, accountability, and results. She discusses resistance training's usefulness and how it positively affects mental health. Lastly, Polina explains how non-pharmacological activities such as using a cold plunge and sauna are beneficial to managing bipolar disorder due to their influence on neurotransmitter levels. She advises users to seek professional guidance to ensure their safety. In conclusion, this episode emphasizes that managing bipolar disorder takes time, persistence, and patience. It can be challenging, but with the right tools, support, and attitude, you can live a healthy and fulfilling life. Thank you for listening to this episode of Lifting with Bipolar. Stay motivated and keep lifting! Show Notes: Guest: Polina @bipolarwithlove (Instagram) Connect with Jonathan Szarko: JonathanSzarko.com @JonathanSzarko (Instagram) Music: DJ Stryer @stryermusic (Instagram)