Comments on: Bipolar Depression vs. Fatigue

By: James

James — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:50:07 +0000

I know all about bipolar fatigue, I’m living it. I’m sedentary and gained so much weight. I can easily sleep 12 hours a night and nap in the afternoon. I’m presently unemployed and I should be using this extra time to get myself in shape but I just don’t have the energy or motivation. I don’t feel depressed just exhausted. My Psychiatrist says I should be walking but I can’t even get myself walking on my treadmill. I keep the thoughts of getting active present in my mind but I haven’t acted upon them yet. Then, there are all those tasks and chores that need to be done inside and out side the home. I postpone and procrastinate whatever I can. I’m also hard on myself for being this way. I use to be a proactive, on top of my game, kind of guy. I wonder if he is still in there. It helps to know that I am not the only one who is experiencing bipolar fatigue. I wish it was easier to manage and resolve.

All the best,

James

By: Michele

Michele — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:34:10 +0000

Hi, Jane,

Thanks for writing. I find it easier now than it used to be to give myself a break. I think about what if it happened to someone else? Would I be as hard on them as I’m being on myself? Of course not. So I try to think of things that way, and give myself a break if I sleep in sometimes.

Blessings,
Michele

By: Jane

Jane — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:10:12 +0000

Hi Michelle,
I am glad you wrote this and didn’t sugar coat, because it was helpful to me. A few days ago, I slept in. Now, I probably shouldn’t have done that, because it seems to throw my day off, but I was tired. So I pushed myself out of bed, and a few hours later, I had to take a nap. I was so tired. Of course when bedtime came around, even tho I took my sleep meds….I couldn’t get to sleep until 1 a.m. which is about 3 hours past my bedtime.
Now, I say all this because my Pdoc and my therapist told me at the beginning of my last episode (in July 09), that I have to stay with a schedule, that it will help regulate me and help me get back on track. So when I shared about this last “tired” episode with my therapist, she told me that once in a while I can sleep in or nap, since I am not in a bad state. I don’t know if it was guilt that I was feeling (because I was not following the schedule I had), or if the sleep in and nap threw off my day, or my chemicals or whatever. So, I learned that a nap…no matter how tired….I can’t do it. I have to have a good night’s sleep. Reading what you wrote helped me to understand that I can just have a ‘down’ day, take it easy, get the fresh air in the system and not be hard on myself.
Not being hard on myself will take some doing, but I thank you for this entry.