Traveling with Bipolar
Back about a year and a half ago, I was really seriously looking into what you need to do to travel/move internationally with bipolar disorder. I remember scouring the internet trying to find something that would help me figure out what exactly I should do/look out for. Since that initial searching, I have lived in China for a year (without knowing any Chinese) and visited 10+ more! I don’t by any means have it all figured out, but I have learned a few tips and tricks to help along the journey.
Here is a bit of background on my relationship with my bipolar (which I wrote about as well in another post). I have now been diagnosed for almost 5 years, with a couple of bouts of depression in the middle. I’ve been stable now for about 2 years without any flair-ups or medication changes, which is miraculous in some ways looking back now at the craziness.
Here are some of my tips!
Talk to your doctor before making any big plans to move internationally! I’m very thankful now that I have an amazing doctor that found the right medication combination for me and genuinely cares about me and my health. Doctors have their degrees and experience for a reason and don’t forget to ask any questions and listen carefully to what they say.
Take your medicine every single day. If you have bipolar, you know that you should take your medication every single day. It’s like in the handbook or something. If you are taking some sort of trip where you have a flight that leaves super late and you have a weird time change, I like to take my medicine right when I get on the plane so I can sleep on the flight and not worry about it. I always take my medicine at night so once I land, I just get back into that habit.
If you can’t handle your bipolar (or other mental illness) before you go, don’t go. Traveling and being an expat can seem super exotic, but it can be honestly really hard. Flights get cancelled. Visas have issues. Cell phones and money can get stolen. All of these things have happened to me since I left for China about a year and a half ago. Since I’m currently back in the US, I recognize how much easier it is to deal with my bipolar being in my native country and culture. By being honest with yourself, you are able to not tap into that innate manic side of the bipolar and take those stupid risks you look back and regret.
Bring plenty of medication. Once your doctor is okay with you doing whatever sort of travel/moving you are planning, ask for extra medication. I normally get 1-2 months worth ordered by my doctor at once since I’ve been stable and usually just get a month’s worth filled at a time. Before I left for China, I brought 3 month’s worth of meds with me and I wish I would have brought more (if I could). When you are moving internationally, it can be a lot more difficult finding a source of medication and/or having the time to search. There will always be things that go wrong or get forgotten, don’t let your medication be one of those things.
Find a new doctor as soon as possible. This tip goes right along with the last one. I put off finding a new doctor once I moved to China and almost ran out of medicine before I even attempted to find a new one. I actually ended up having a few days where there were gaps in my meds because I didn’t take the time to find a doctor and get more. It was even more scary since I didn’t (and still don’t) know Chinese and it was extremely difficult to communicate with a doctor. I was blessed with some good friends who were able to translate for me. By the end of my year there, I was able to have my friend make me the appointment, and I was able to show up, communicate with the doctor (via Google Translate of course), and pick up my own medicine. I definitely felt super accomplished because of that!
Don’t let fear hold you back. It is good to be risk adverse in some cases, but if you live your life in fear, you aren’t really living. Before I left, my mom was really nervous about me moving so far away from home where I couldn’t communicate with almost anyone. I was nervous about it too. But I’m so glad that I took the leap and risk and just did it. 10000% worth it.
It’s okay to travel alone. One of my favorite trips I’ve ever gone on was all by myself. If you can’t be in your own company, you can’t really learn more about yourself. After living in a Chinese city with 14 million people, I was craving being alone in English speaking lands. So I ended up solo traveling (as a female) to Australia and New Zealand for almost 3 weeks. One of the best things about traveling alone is that you can do whatever you want, every single time. I spent several days doing nothing but reading, and others hiking up mountains. Sure, at times I got lonely, but I learned more about myself in those 3 weeks than I think I could have in any other kind of environment.
Know your limits. This is a tough one, not even going to lie. As your journey with bipolar (or other mental illness) progresses, you learn more about where you need to draw the line. You are the only advocate for yourself. If you don’t know when to stop yourself, no one will do it for you. Part of the reason why I’m not in China currently is because I recognized that I was at my limit in what I could do at my old job. I left the teaching position after one year, instead of staying on for another as I was supposed to, because I recognized that it’s better to be a little cautious and protect yourself and sanity than to just stick with something. Even though I miss China, 4 months later I know deep in my soul that it was the right decision for me.
Create some sort of a routine. This is one of the best pieces of advice I got from both my doctors and therapists about my bipolar. Having a routine allows your life to function more smoothly and navigate your mental health better. You can keep a routine as well when you travel too! I always have the same bedtime routine no matter where in the world I am. I always brush my teeth, take my medicine, read part of a book, then finally play a sleep meditation to fall asleep. This little bit of consistency allows me to keep a bit of control from the chaos and better manage my bipolar.
These are just a few of the tips I have learned about traveling and living overseas while having bipolar! Don’t forget that no matter how hard you run away from it, it’s not going to leave so use these ideas and your own to manage your bipolar, instead of it controlling you! If you have any of your own tips or ideas that you think would be helpful, write them down in the comments and I would love to hear them!