Treating bipolar I, and minimizing those mood highs and lows, can actually help you think more clearly and expansively—without the risks of engaging in risky behavior during a manic episode. But it might take time and a bit of experimenting to get there . “If you are a creative person, you still will be with treatment,” says Dr. Daramus. “If you’ve been dealing with bipolar I for a long time, it can take a little while for that to come back.
Real talk: You may not feel amazing when you start taking medication, and you may even feel worse initially. Certain bipolar medications can cause some people to feel sluggish or tired, which Dr. Turner says may feel problematic at first if you’ve grown accustomed to the motivated highs of mania. If you’re taking medication and you feel like it’s negatively affecting you, talk to your doctor, who can recommend a different medicine or give you advice on how to avoid unwanted side effects.Dr.
As tempting as it may be to chug coffee or rely on other stimulants to “get in the zone,” Dr. Turner says artificial energy boosts can mess with your sleep schedule—which could increase the risk of a manic episode.“It’s really important that people with bipolar disorder don’t do anything to disrupt their sleep, because it could lead to an unstable mood,” she says.
If you keep feeling “blah” once you’re on a stable medication regimen, there’s a lot you can do to help your creative wheels turn. If you miss the feeling of unbridled energy you experienced during manic episodes, Dr. Daramus encourages talking with your therapist or a support group about it. “A lot of times the problem is not that you are not creative but that you feel insecure about creativity,” says Dr. Daramus.