I remember the day I went to my first appointment with the psychiatrist. I was so severely depressed I couldn’t really think of what to say. My aunt–who I had lived with off and on during college–came with me to my appointment and she answered most of the doctor’s questions. She knew me pretty well from the outside, but she didn’t know what went on in my head. The result of the visit was that I was misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders and put on an antidepressant, which triggered a manic episode.
“It IS All in Your Head!”
For the first several years after I was diagnosed I struggled with feelings of frustration, discouragement and even anger as I tried so hard to get well but nothing was working. One of the challenges with treating bipolar disorder is that it really is “all in your head.” Even though people sometimes use that phrase to diminish or dismiss the symptoms and challenges that come with bipolar disorder, it is actually quite accurate.
Bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance that affects your mood and mind. This creates a paradox for you because your doctor diagnoses you based on symptoms, but the only one who can really provide accurate information is you. How do you know what information is relevant?
How do you know if the thoughts you are having are rational or if they are being caused by the mood imbalance? How do you know which thoughts and behaviors are unhealthy if they feel normal to you? How do you know what to talk to your therapist about if you don’t know what is causing your problem in the first place?
Challenges with Using a Mood Tracking Journal
One of the things that was recommended to me over the years by doctors and therapists was keeping a mood tracking journal. I really wanted to get well so I kept trying but it was so challenging for a number of reasons.
First, I had a really hard time remembering to do it. Self-discipline and consistency was something I craved for years, but felt incapable of having because of the dramatic shifts in my mood. When I was manic I would have racing thoughts that would fly by faster than I could write. So much of what I wrote in a manic state was incomprehensible, and I often would get so frustrated with writing that I didn’t want to do it because it was too slow.
When I was depressed I struggled to function at all, and making my brain think was difficult if not impossible. I didn’t want to write about how I was feeling, and when I did I often would tear the pages out of my journal because I was embarrassed by what I had written and didn’t want anyone to see, including my doctor and therapist.
Second, I would usually go two or three months between appointments with my doctor and then it was only a 15-20 minute “med check” appointment. How was I supposed to convey the information that was in my journal to the doctor in any beneficial way? The questions the doctor was asking me weren’t in my journal anyway. He would ask me questions about the effectiveness of the medication. What time of day I was taking it? How did I feel afterwards? When were the side effects occurring in relation to when I was taking them? How intense were the side effects?
I usually didn’t remember the answers to all of his questions and it was so frustrating because nothing seemed to help. I was continuing to experience mood cycles and I didn’t ever know if I could trust my own mind. The mood journal wasn’t helping me with that.
The other issue with using a mood tracking journal was that it was so subjective and inconsistent that it was impossible to see patterns or identify triggers. I started to suspect that I was actually triggering mood cycles in myself through thought and behavior patterns, but the mood journal wasn’t helping me identify the triggers. I was guessing based on what I was experiencing, but the thoughts and behaviors were so normal that I couldn’t really see what was happening before it was too late.
Trying to keep a mood tracking journal was so frustrating for me! It wasn’t helping me understand my mood cycles or triggers and it definitely wasn’t helping me answer my doctor’s questions. It just felt like one more thing I was failing to do.
Trying Out Mood Tracking Apps
I wanted a tool that would help me understand my brain better and help me provide better, more complete information to my doctor and therapist so I could get more effective treatment. That was when I started to try out mood tracking apps. The idea of using a mood tracking app came to me when I was trying to remember to take my supplements consistently. I really struggled with that, I kept forgetting to take them consistently at the same time, and sometimes I forgot to take them altogether, or I couldn’t remember if I had taken them.
I decided to set alarms on my phone to remind me to take my supplements because I had my phone with me all the time. Then one day I had the thought, what if I could keep track of my mood on my phone, too. So I started looking for and trying out mood tracking apps.
Finding Bearable
The first few apps I tried weren’t very good. They had limited function and understanding the information that I was tracking was not easy. Then I found the Bearable app.
- I want to mention here that I do not receive any compensation or benefit from Bearable for talking about or sharing the app. I love the app because it has helped me so much and I want you to know about it because I am hoping it will help you, too!
The Bearable app is amazing! It is really easy to use, super customizable and the “Insights” tool it has to analyze the information that you track is fantastic! It helps you see patterns and connections in the data you track. It will help you understand your mind and your cycles better and enable you to provide a goldmine of relevant information to your doctor and therapist so you can get more effective treatment.
I love that it is so simple and easy to use and it’s on your phone. Most people carry their phone with them all the time and so you can simply set alarms to remind yourself to enter the information a few times a day. The information you enter only takes a couple minutes, too, it is so easy! You just click through the items you are tracking and tap the buttons and you’re done. You don’t have to think too hard about any of it, which is really helpful if you are depressed or having a hard time thinking.
Another thing that is really useful is how many different factors you can choose to track. Some helpful factors you can track are mood, energy level, medication or supplements (and any side-effects), sleep, and symptoms. There are so many different factors that can affect your mind and your mood cycle. You can choose what to track and customize the app to make it work for you.
One of the best ways it has helped me is understanding my mood cycles more clearly. This has helped me in two ways.
Symptoms
The first is understanding the symptoms of my mood cycles. I don’t experience manic episodes very often any more, but any time I become really productive and feel inspired to do a project I start to get anxious that I might be getting manic. This is because for years anytime I was highly productive and feeling inspired it was an indication I was entering a manic episode. I discovered that the anxiety I felt worrying about whether I was getting manic was actually triggering mania in me.
Using the app has helped me identify specific symptoms that are characteristic of mania for me. Now using the Bearable app if I start to worry that I might be entering mania I look to see if those symptoms are present. If they aren’t then I work on my mindfulness to reassure myself that I am not manic, just productive and inspired.
If I find that the symptoms of mania (or depression) are present then I have my Mental Health Emergency Response Plan to proactively manage my mania (or depression) to lessen the impact on me and my family and shorten the duration of the episode.
Triggers
The second way this app has really benefited me is to help me identify triggers that cause mood cycles. I have worked through many of my triggers with my therapist and eliminated them through therapy. Some triggers I have eliminated from my life through boundary work. Other triggers I have learned to manage in a way that lessens their impact on my mood cycles.
Therapeutic vs. Analytical Tools
I have learned that journaling and mood tracking apps serve different purposes and they both have value as tools for treating bipolar disorder. Journaling has tremendous value as a therapeutic tool when you are working with a therapist to process trauma, work to change unhealthy thought and behavior patterns and implement healthy boundaries. I have used it for this purpose and it really helps.
The Bearable app is an analytical tool. You simply track the information each day in an easy and accessible way. The app then does the work for you to analyze the information you have tracked. It is designed to help you understand your bipolar disorder better and provide more complete and accurate information to your doctor and therapist so they can help you more effectively.
If you are ready to learn how to live well with your bipolar disorder, join my FREE “Better with Bearable Mood Tracking Challenge” going on now, through April 25. The challenge will help you learn how to use this amazing tool to live a more healthy, balanced, productive life with bipolar disorder.
