Real Self-Care With Bipolar Is Not About Bubble Baths

Social media is awash in self-care content, but I have news for you: self-care with bipolar disorder is not about face masks and bubble baths. While I have no problem with getting a manicure for fun, there are far better ways to take care of yourself. Here are some tips for real self-care with bipolar disorder.

What actually is self-care?

The definition of self-care seems intuitive – it's what we do to care for ourselves. That's all well and good, but social media has turned this idea into the decadence Olympics. This makes many of us feel like we're not engaging in enough self-care, but there is much more to it than that. This additional information about self-care can alter how we cope with bipolar disorder.

One definition of self-care provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) is:¹

"Self-care is what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health and to prevent and deal with illness. It is a broad concept encompassing hygiene (general and personal), nutrition (type and quality of food eaten), lifestyle (sporting activities, leisure etc.), environmental factors (living conditions, social habits, etc.) socio-economic factors (income level, cultural beliefs, etc.) and self-medication."

From this definition, it's clear that self-care isn't optional but, rather, required for good health.

7 pillars of self-care

The International Self-Care Foundation breaks this down into the following 7 self-care pillars:²

1. Knowledge and health literacy
2. Mental wellbeing (include areas such as life satisfaction, optimism, self-esteem, mastery, feeling in control, having a purpose in life, and a sense of belonging and support)
3. Physical activity
4. Healthy eating
5. Risk avoidance
6. Good hygiene (conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases)
7. Rational use of self-care products and services

These pillars can inform how we apply self-care to bipolar disorder.

Self-care when you have bipolar disorder

Self-care with bipolar disorder can be viewed through the lens of these 7 pillars. The good news about that is it probably means you're engaging in much more self-care than you realize.

When I think about bipolar disorder and self-care in my daily life, I do the following activities that fit within each pillar:

1. I learn about facets of bipolar disorder and mental health daily. (As a mental health writer, it's hard to avoid.)
2. I attend psychotherapy to improve my mental wellbeing.
3. I walk down by the water regularly to exercise my body and relax my mind.
4. I get salads and other healthy food delivered weekly to ensure I have a balanced diet.
5. I never drink and drive (nor do I let anyone else drink and drive).
6. I get vaccinations as appropriate.
7. I use medication as prescribed by my doctor.

I'm sure you can put many of your activities in each category too.

Try something new, and take care of you

Those are self-care activities that can actually help life with bipolar disorder, as opposed to bubble baths which, while pleasant, just don't help that much. I'm not saying there’s no time in the day for bubble baths – after all, a moment of luxury can help recharge one's batteries. I'm just saying that to truly care for yourself with bipolar disorder, you need to do a lot more.

In short, even though no one on social media is bragging about getting a colonoscopy or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as self-care, it really is. So, give yourself credit for all you already do and maybe make a stretch goal to try out something new.