Bipolars! How do you cope with rapid-cycling?

Have you tried meditation or any kind of mindfulness practice? It will help to bring you back into your body and ground you somewhat. There’s lots of free mindfulness downloads available online.
I’d also suggest exercise. Go for a brisk walk, jog or run. If you’re low, it’ll help lift you and if a bit elated, it will help with the excess energy.

The 3 Ms: medication, masturbation, and meditation. I also exercise a lot during those times.

I have to add the last time I was spinning out of control I ended up in the hospital.

Unfortunately I’m BiPolar II rapid cycling depressive, which means that I hit the depressive side all too often unless I use medication. I used to be very anti-medication, now I have to admit that taking a mood-altering seizure drug for my seizures and also another for my mood I’m happy again! It may not last, but for now I’m happy again and can make plans and decisions.

For everyone who’s suggestion meditation, where do you begin? I have a book or two with some exercises, but did you just read about it, or did you have some sort of teacher.
@Hawaii_Jake – one “M” interferes with another. The meds, ummm, how should I say it…? Well, let’s just say, the meds kill my libido, so the plumbing goes unused.
@stardust – I did go for a walk today. It was nice.
The cycling has slowed down, tonight… It’s just turning into a depressive funk. Wonderful.

I am pretty much in the same space as you right now. I don’t know if we all feel the same, but I haven’t been sleeping well, I feel “sick” groggy, scared, fears, I don’t feel elated at all. I also feel irritated and I am withdrawing again.

Having said that, I would call a lot of my symptoms anxiety. I go to You Tube and look at meditative videos, some with music, some with speaking, I look at the beautiful photographs they put up. It does help. Often I will talk, just talk it out. If i can get past the withdrawn part. I also cleaned my home, and am burning Lavender oil in a burner. It helps a little or sometimes it helps a lot. The things that help me the most are the meditations and talking it out. Because I get so filled with fear. I am not sure if you do.

@serenityNOW : I call sitting quietly meditation. That’s an over-simplification, but it works for me. I sit and do nothing else. I mean nothing. I don’t rock. I don’t drink water. If I did, I wouldn’t smoke. I don’t read. I just sit. That’s how I started.

Gradually, it built up to breathing exercises: in through the nose and out through the mouth. After a bit of that, I could breathe normally.

As for the Ms, if one is knocking out the other, I would definitely talk to my doctor about it. There are plenty of meds that don’t have that effect.