INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Attend regular appointments with your therapist so you can work on your treatment goals. Your therapist will help you recognize your symptoms and cope with them. Additionally, they'll help you manage your mood swings and adjust your thought processes. Talk to your therapist to create a treatment plan that works for you. If you have insurance, it may cover your treatment, so check your benefits. You can find a therapist online or through your insurance. Bipolar disorder affects people differently, so it's important to understand how your episodes work and what you typically experience. Write down how you feel every day, as well as what's going on in your life. Then, use this information to look for patterns and triggers so you can manage your symptoms moving forward. For example, you might have a pattern of swinging between depression and mania, you might have mixed episodes, or you might experience depression during the colder months and mania during the warmer months. Common triggers for bipolar episodes include stress, issues at work or school, changing seasons, reduced sleep, financial issues, and conflict with friends or family. so it won't trigger an episode. Stress is a normal part of life, but it can be harmful if you have a lot of it. Additionally, stress is a common trigger for both mania and depression, so managing it can help you cope with your condition. Identify coping strategies to help you manage your stress. Then, incorporate these strategies into your daily life so your stress doesn't overwhelm you. For instance, color in an adult coloring book, talk to a friend, do something creative, walk in nature, play with your pet, use aromatherapy, or do puzzles. You need a community to help you deal with your bipolar disorder, so ask your friends and loved ones to be there for you. Talk to them when you're feeling stable, if possible. Let them know that your mood can vary and what you need when you're having an episode. Ask them to help you when you need it. If you want specific types of help, tell them exactly what you want. You might say, "If I start talking about harming myself, please call my doctor immediately and don't leave me alone until I'm under my doctor's care or feeling better." You might also say, "If you think my behavior is getting erratic, please call my doctor or my mom. They'll help me get the care I need." Coping with bipolar disorder is difficult, and it's hard for people who don't have it to truly understand what you're going through. Fortunately, you can find people who've had similar experiences at a support group. Ask your doctor about support groups in your area or look online. Sharing your story may help you find support. Plus, you can learn better coping strategies from people who've had similar experiences. Your bipolar disorder can make it hard for you to succeed at work or school, and that's not your fault. You might be nervous to share your diagnosis with others, and you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. However, it may help to talk to them about your needs if you know that simple accommodations can help. For instance, you might do better in school if your teacher gives you an extra day on assignments while you're depressed, or you might be able to focus better during mania if you can walk the halls for a few minutes. At work, you might do better with flexible work hours or access to a window. Don't stop taking your medication without your doctor's permission, even if you feel better. Bipolar disorder is a biological condition, and your medication is helping regulate your brain chemistry. Stopping can have serious side effects and may cause your symptoms to return. Keep taking your medication as directed by your doctor. If you have questions or concerns about your medication, talk to your doctor about them. In some cases, an episode can get so severe that your behavior is out of control. When this happens, a crisis plan can help your doctor and loved ones ensure that you get the type of care you want and need. Prepare your plan with your doctor while you're feeling stable. Include the following in your plan: A list of your doctors and their contact information A list of your medications and how much you're taking Information about when you want others to take responsibility for you Your treatment preferences Who is allowed to make treatment decisions for you and their contact information

SUMMARY: Work with a therapist who's experienced with managing bipolar disorder. Keep a mood diary so you can recognize your own patterns. Manage stress Build a support system of people you trust. Join a support group for people with bipolar disorder. Talk to your boss or teacher about accommodations you need, if necessary. Take your medication as prescribed. Create a crisis plan for severe episodes.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When you listen to music, you have probably noticed that it's not all at the same volume, all the time. Some parts get really loud, and some parts get really soft. These variations are known as "dynamics." If the rhythm and meter are the heart of the music, and notes and keys are the brains, then dynamics are surely the voice of the music. Consider the first version above. On your table, tap out: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8, etc. (the and is how musicians "say" eighth notes). Make sure every beat is tapped at the same loudness, so that it sounds a bit like a helicopter. Now take a look at the second version. Notice the accent mark (>) above every F note. Tap that out, only this time, accent every beat that you see the accent mark. Now, instead of a helicopter, it should sound more like a train. With just a subtle shift in accent, we completely change the character of the music! Just like you don't always talk at the same levelyou modulate your voice louder or softer, depending on the situationmusic modulates in level too. The way the composer tells the musician what is intended is by using dynamic markings. There are dozens of dynamic markings you may see on a piece of music, but some of the most common ones you'll find will be the letters f, m, and p. p means "piano," or "softly." f means "forte," or "loud." m means "mezzo," or "medium." This modifies the dynamic after it, as in mf which means "medium loud", or mp, which means "medium soft." The more ps or fs you have, the softer or louder the music is to be played. Try singing the example above (using solfegethe first note in this example is the tonic, or "do"), and use the dynamic markings to notice the difference. Another very common dynamic notation is the crescendo, and it's corollary, the decrescendo or "diminuendo". They are a visual representations of a gradual change in volume which look like stretched-out "<" and ">" symbols. A crescendo gradually gets louder, and a decrescendo gradually decreases the volume. You'll notice that, with these two symbols, the "open" end of the symbol represents the louder dynamic and the closed end represents the quieter dynamic. For example, if the music directs you to gradually go from forte to piano, you'll see an f', then a stretched out ">", then a 'p'. Sometimes a crescendo or diminuendo will be represented as the shortened words cresc." (crescendo) or dim. (diminuendo).

SUMMARY:
Get loudor get soft! Play it piano, or fortissimo, or somewhere in between. Get louder and louder and louder, or quieter and quieter and quieter.