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Social Rhythm Therapy Social Rhythm Therapy is
a form of psychotherapy which can help prevent mood swings. Every day we come
in contact with important signals or events that help set our body’s clock
and regulate our mood and hormone levels.
Examples include sunlight, sleep, exercise, meals and stress. Regulating these daily rhythms can cut your
rate of depression and mood swings in half. Prevention when you feel well: How to keep mood swings from returning 1) Keep a regular schedule. When
you have a mood disorder, your body’s internal clock doesn’t always set
right, so you need to schedule things that help set your clock. Sleep, meals sunlight and exercise are
important: do these at the same time each day (within ½ an hour). 2) Identify mood-restorers.
List activities that tend to restore your sense of daily rhythms. For
many people the most important ones are getting out of bed, starting a major
daily activity like work/school/ chores, being with someone who is important
to you, eating dinner and going to sleep.
Other examples might include exercise, bathing, going outside, taking medication, reading and watching a
favorite TV show. Try to do these activities at the same time each day
(within ½ an hour). 3) Identify mood-deregulators.
What things make you feel off-balance, over-stimulated, or disrupt
your sleep? Make a list; examples
could be arguments or intense discussion, travel, late-night projects, bright
lights, caffeine, noise, or crowds.
Try to avoid mood-deregulators at night to protect your sleep. When possible, plan ahead for how to manage
mood-deregulators. Click here
to learn more about how light, darkness and “blue light” can help you
regulate your mood. 4) Self monitoring. A social rhythm chart
can help you plan and monitor your mood-regulators. To complete this chart, record the actual
time you did each important activity.
You can also rate how stimulating other people were during the
activity, as social stimulation has powerful effects on our brain chemistry
and daily rhythms. At the bottom of the chart rate your overall mood for each
day. If you find your mood has been
off for a few days, look back through the prior week and see if it might be
related to disruption in your daily rhythms. In this blank chart, the
5 activities which tend to have the strongest impact on daily rhythms are
listed. You can add your own in the
blank rows as you personalize this technique. You can also chart your
moods on a mood chart. Keeping a chart will help you
identify things that destabilize your mood and help your doctor keep better
track of your treatments. Manage early signs of a high mood (activated, irritable, impulsive or manic) 1) Preserve Sleep. Try to
sleep at least 6 hours a night. It’s
more important to wake up at the same time each day than to go to bed at the
same time. Consult with your doctor about sleep medications if needed. At
night, turn down the lights (especially “blue lights” like
TV and computers) and use bedtime rituals. Read more about sleep restoration. 2) Manage conflict. The 3-volley rule: When an argument escalates to “3 volleys”,
stop the talk and walk away. A “volley”
is an angry or argumentative statement.
For example, if you say 1. “I hate it when people interrupt me!” and
your relative counters with, 2. “Don’t get angry, I thought you were finished
talking!!” and you counter with 3. “That’s because you weren’t listening!!!”…
that’s 3 volley’s, and a sign that you both need to
disengage. 3) Manage impulses. The rule of 2’s:
If you have an idea that might be impulsive, try waiting two days
before acting on it, or asking two people if they think it would be wise. If it really feels uncontrollable, set a
timer for one hour. If the craving is
still uncontrollable after one hour, allow yourself to indulge it. Manage early signs of a low
mood (depressed or empty) Click on getting active to
learn more. —Updated 8/5/11 by Chris Aiken, MD |
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