Bipolar Depression – What You Can Do to Help Yourself Beyond Medication?

In this short free video I focus particularly on bipolar depression and look at practical actions we can take for ourselves beyond medication — regardless of any genetic or chemical predisposition.

A more common-sense way of putting it is this:

What can I do for myself (beyond medication) to retrain my brain’s thoughts and my body’s emotions towards better responses that I might consciously desire, rather than what my subconscious mind and body currently give me?

This is based on my personal experience of recovering from both depression and bipolar patterns. It is not medical advice — just a set of practical perspectives aimed at intelligent, potentially high-functioning people who experience intense mood swings, emotional exhaustion and debilitating negative thought patterns, yet know they are capable. It is for those open-minded enough to test new ideas rather than dismiss them without trying.

Bipolar depression is characterised by extreme shifts in mood, energy and activity levels — swinging from intense lows to manic or hypomanic highs. In my work over the last two decades I have repeatedly observed a strong correlation between these patterns and individuals whose creative, extroverted and non-conformist tendencies were suppressed in childhood, and who still lack an appropriate creative outlet for their powerful imagination and uniqueness of character.

These days such children are often labelled as having ADHD. Years ago they were more likely to be called disruptive, challenging or simply “too much.” Many of these adults were forced to suppress their spontaneous reactions, independence and natural intensity in order to fit in and avoid reprimand. The result is often a deep inner conflict between who they feel they are and who they think they should be. That ongoing conflict creates confusion, self-doubt and significant emotional exhaustion — fertile ground for the bipolar cycle.

These more creative, extroverted and spontaneous individuals are that way because their brains and bodies respond very immediately to external stimuli or to their own internal creative imagination. They are biologically and emotionally highly responsive. Alcohol, medication or recreational drugs often affect them more strongly than average, and the come-downs or hangovers tend to be more severe too. When their emotional battery is depleted, the swings become more extreme.

A useful metaphor is the six-month emotional energy buffer — an internal battery that gives us resilience for life’s challenges. When that battery runs flat (through prolonged stress, suppressed authenticity, lack of creative expression, or simply putting up with conditions that don’t fit), the subconscious can force the system into a protective, energy-conserving mode. For many people this looks like classic depression. For the more responsive, creative personalities it often shows up as the bipolar pattern: deep lows alternating with periods of high energy that can tip into mania or hypomania.

I often ask: “What happened in the six to eight months before the more severe bipolar pattern started?” Most people can identify a period of intense emotional drain, suppressed creativity, or living in ways that conflicted with their true nature.

From a biological perspective, depression (including the bipolar form) can be seen as the natural state that arises when we become exhausted and are no longer engaging with life in ways that suit our personality and meet basic needs for love, connection, meaning, security and — crucially for this group — creative expression. Confident people tend to change draining conditions relatively quickly. Those raised to prioritise being kind, not letting others down, and putting their own needs last often find it much harder. They “put up with” the mismatch, further depleting their chemistry and intensifying the cycle.

Prolonged periods of depression also change cellular receptors — more receptors for stress chemicals and fewer for the ones that feel good. This makes it harder to experience positive emotions even when good things happen. Reversing that configuration typically takes consistent work over four to six months.

The practical invitation is to stop asking only “What’s wrong with me?” and start asking what needs to change in how you are living, expressing yourself, and managing your emotional energy. For many with bipolar patterns, reclaiming suppressed creativity, reducing the constant self-suppression, and deliberately recharging the emotional battery are central.

You can influence your brain’s thinking patterns and your body’s chemistry. It is challenging, but it is possible.

Watch the free video on this page to explore these ideas in more detail.