Part three of this four part series on wellness for the person suffering from bipolar disorder will discuss the importance of routines and creative outlets.

Routines

Yes, I knowboring! As unexciting as routines are, for someone with bipolar they can be the foundation needed to reestablish a healthy and productive life. Routines can help eradicate the unexpected out of your life. They keep you from feeling overwhelmed at every turn. I am the type of person who becomes bored by routines quite easily, but since my first inpatient treatment I have not been able to handle many situations without advance preparation. So I integrated some rituals into my life so that on days when I'm not feeling up to par, I can still function with minimal effort. Everyone has a certain amount of routine in their life but when you are bipolar the more simplicity, the better. If it helps, think of them as shortcuts. Or think of them in terms of trash. If trash collectors didn't have a scheduled day to pick up your garbage each week, how would you know when to put it out? Here are some suggestions:

~*~ I can be indecisive, so I pick out my clothes the night before. This way if I wake up late, which will fluster me, I don't have the added pressure of coming up with something to wear. Some people take this idea a step further and actually hang their clothes in "preset" outfits so all they do is grab and go. Customization is the key to making routines work for you.

~*~ I am not a morning person so I try to do as much as possible the night before. Just recently I started taking my shower in the evening. This was a difficult change for me since I have taken my shower in the morning for 25 years. What I've discovered is that I haven't been late to a morning appointment once in the past month.

~*~ Make a schedule for repetitive tasks. I have deviated from my schedule lately and have suffered from it. It's easy to let chores pile up to the point that you can't even pick a place to start. So do your tasks on the same day every week. Make a calendar to keep you on track. For example:

~*~ Mondays you do vacuuming
~*~ Tuesdays you do dusting
~*~ Wednesdays you do household laundry
~*~ Thursdays you clean the bathrooms
~*~ Fridays you rent movies and relax
~*~ Saturdays you do personal laundry and take the kids to the park
~*~ Sundays you go to church, fill your weekly pill reminder and have a nice family dinner

You get the idea. Don't forget to schedule in personal time as well as chores and don't beat yourself up if you get off schedule. Simply regroup and, if needed, even rearrange your schedule and start again.

~*~ If your family consists of a significan other, spouse and/or children who have schedules to be met as well, make a family calendar. You can make it using a simple wall calendar, desk calendar or make one on a computer. The rules areeveryone must have access to it and everyone must write down his or her appointments for it to work. By doing this you can very easily see scheduling conflicts in advance, before they become a problem and a source of stress.

Creative Outlets

Sometimes I find it helpful to treat myself the same way I treat my son. When I feel overwhelmed and upset about an event or situation I "distract and redirect." It seems to help if I can escape the problem for a short time and focus on something that is creative. Then, once I have calmed down I refocus on the problem with a refreshed mind. Creativity, being the opposite of "black and white thinking," tends to open my "stuck" thought process and often gives me an entire new outlook. Here are some possibilities:

~*~ Writing
~*~ Journaling
~*~ Drawing or painting (I actual color in coloring books)
~*~ Gardening
~*~ Playing a musical instrument
~*~ Dancing
~*~ Flower arranging
~*~ Making homemade greeting cards
~*~ Playing a game
~*~ Photography
~*~ Model building
~*~ Sewing, needlepoint, quilting, cross-stitch, macram, crochet
~*~ Sculpting
~*~ Designing or updating a website
~*~ Scrapbooking

Rountines and creative outlets may not seem like important issues, but they can be lifesavers.

Terry J. Coyier is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers.