Dating With Bipolar: 6 Relationship Tips to Remember If You Have the Disorder

Have you recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder? If you have been diagnosed, then you’ve most likely done quite a bit of research on the disorder and have spoken with professionals about it as well. You know how this disorder affects you and what to expect when living with it.

What you’re not too sure about, however, is how to go about dating with bipolar disorder. Maybe you haven’t tried dating since being diagnosed, or maybe you’ve tried but it was an epic fail. If you’re feeling down about getting back on the dating scene with this disorder, don’t be!

Mental health can cause challenges in a romantic relationship, but relationships come with challenges either way. Your challenges can be overcome with the right tips in mind.

Are you dating with bipolar disorder? Continue reading below for our list of tips to keep in mind to help you overcome relationship issues caused by this disorder!

1. Communicate With Your Partner

You’ll need to be upfront with your partner about your disorder. This doesn’t mean that you need to drop everything at once on them on the first date, but you do need to make them aware of it before getting into a serious commitment. Let your partner know what the signs of your mood swings are.

You should also let him or her know how you normally cope when having a mood swing. Is there something he or she can do to help you get through it? Don’t expect your partner to know what this thing is.

Tell your partner and communicate with your partner openly. If you feel a shift in your mood coming on, let your partner know to give them some warning. You should also be open to hearing them out if they notice a shift in your mood before you do.

2. Always Practice Self-Care

Self-care is essential to maintaining all types of relationships, including the relationship you have with yourself. If you begin to neglect yourself, you won’t be able to thrive in your relationship and be the best person you can be. You should practice healthy self-care activities each day.

To keep yourself happy and healthy, be sure to socialize with people daily, get the right amount of sleep each night, spend time outdoors, drink enough water, eat a solid healthy diet, and move around.

Some other ways to practice self-care is to have a support system in place other than your partner that you can turn to when needed. This could be a therapist, friends, family members, or someone else.

3. Remember Your Treatment Plan

After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you might have received a treatment plan. If you were given a treatment plan from a professional, then you need to remember to stick with it daily. Medication and other forms of treatment are essential to gaining control over this disorder.

If you fail to stick with your treatment plan, you could be putting your relationship at risk. Keep in mind that if your partner is on top of you sticking with your treatment plan and it begins to bother you, then there is a happy medium.

Discuss with your partner that you appreciate his or her compassion for your situation, but that there needs to be a limit on how often or how many times a day he or she can bring up the treatment plan.

4. Stay Honest at All Times

Open communication and honesty go a long way. Not only do you need to communicate with your partner about this disorder, but you also need to remember to be honest at all times. When you feel a shift in your mood, let your partner know rather than making an excuse about it.

If you don’t have the energy to leave the house or go to an event, then let your partner know that you’re feeling off that day rather than trying to make up an excuse as to why you can’t do something. If you’ve been honest about this disorder from the beginning, then your partner should be understanding.

5. Help Them Stay Educated

Someone who doesn’t have bipolar disorder or someone who’s never been exposed to the disorder before, might not understand what it entails. Your partner needs to be educated about the disorder to fully understand what it is and how it affects you.

Some people might go out of their way to educate themselves, but others might not stop to think about this step. If your partner has no experience with this disorder, then you’ll need to ensure he or she is educated about it. You should also do what you can to help him or her stay educated on the topic as well.

6. Advise Them to Build a Support System

You know how important it is to have a support system for yourself. It’s equally important for your partner to have a support system as well. He or she will need a support system of his or her own to help when things get bumpy in the relationship.

Advice and encouragement are needed for your partner as well and can be found in friends, family members, counselors, therapists, or someone else. Advise them to have a solid support system even if he or she doesn’t believe it’s needed.

Dating With Bipolar Disorder Doesn’t Have to Be an Issue

Dating with bipolar disorder can be overwhelming and a bit scary, but it doesn’t have to be an issue within the relationship. Keep these tips in mind, and you should have no trouble keeping a healthy relationship with bipolar disorder!

Are you preparing for your first date? Click here to read more about coping with first-date anxiety!