It has been around 10 years that I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. At the time, I dived into clinical psychology books and learned more about it. I became an expert on the subject but that was not what helped me.
I suffered from this mood disorder very much when I was a university student. I remember times when the depressed side of bipolar disorder hit me and I couldn't study anything or the high mood hits in an irrelevant time and I had to isolate myself or escape from many environments.
Bipolar disorder made me a very social person and a very isolated person at the same time. However, it took time to identify what it does to me and how it hurt me. It took years to understand its mechanism.
First of all, I should say that you have to develop your own methods on dealing with bipolar disorder. However I will make some suggestions and give advice so that you can see a way, an assessment to approach your uneasiness.
As I have written earlier about lifting your mood, my first suggestion will be about trying to keep and prolong your normal mood. I need to emphasize normal because the definition of normal is entirely up to you. To me, it means that I am content or happy and I can efficiently do what I want to do or what I have to do.
Acknowledgement
Know and understand you have a mood disorder. As Jung pointed out, what you resist, persists. Therefore, don't reject the fact. The idea "I have to be very normal because I am a strong person" is another type of rejection. Forget about being normal. There is no such thing, especially in your condition. You will define a normal and act about it. Accept the fact that you have a condition and know that you are going to handle it. Know that there won't be a straight line in handling it. Ups and downs will continue but you will learn to catch and heal your mood. So, don't fall into the rejection trap.
Having said that, don't become a social mood disorder person either. Don't identify yourself with your condition. Don't exaggerate taking part in discussion groups about bipolar disorder. This will just help you to continue with your swinging moods without having any control over them.
Learn to stop yourself
This is both valid for the high mood and the low mood of bipolar depression. Learn to become still when the mood goes to extremes. There are a couple of ways to learn it. First and foremost, engage in meditation. Learn breathing techniques. Meditation will not be easy in the beginning but by using it frequently, you'll see that you will have a control on your mood. How you breath (this is an important aspect in meditation) is a way of control on your physical body. There are tons of articles on meditation on the net but there aren't much which clearly tells what meditation is all about. Meditation is to allow your feelings and thoughts to flow freely and finally after a certain time they pass. This is the mechanism of meditation. You allow anything and everything that flows through your mind and heart so that they don't persist. This is the core of meditation and nothing else is close to define it. It is not about nailed chairs, it is not about levitation. You can do it in anywhere in any position.
If meditation is not your fit, you can still find your own way to stop yourself. Stopping yourself is important because mood swings usually hurt when you are not completely aware of your condition and behave according to a certain mood and then regret about it.
You have to work on this not when the mood hits you but when you feel content. And then you will use your techniques when the mood hits.
Try to imagine the time when you are up or you are completely down. Most probably, the first thing that will come to your mind will be the reason that triggered your mood. Skip that reason. You would be moody anyway. The reason that comes to your mind is not the reason. This is a game that your mind plays to you. Your mind is very skilled at writing and acting out scenarios. Keep in mind that your mood would swing without any actual reason. Of course there are triggers but this is another issue and I will mention them below.
Be suspicious about your mood. When you start feeling down, try to look for actual reasons. Since you will be ready and practiced before, you may easily understand that there are no reasons. And even if there are reasons, choose anger over anxiety.
Here are a couple more things to help you stop yourself:
Start reading a new book. I say new because that would distract your attention and this what you need at the moment: to distract your attention.
Call a close friend and tell your situation. Tell her / him beforehand about you are going to call when your mood swings and ask for help to remind you your conversation about this before.
Try herbal teas. In my experience, mint and rosemary helps me so much. It is miraculous.
I know this may sound difficult for moody times especially when the depressive side hit but take a shower. While taking a shower, imagine your mood flows over your body and leaves you like dirt or any image that fits you. Imagination is very effective on any mental and physical illness including bipolar disorder.
And things you have to stay away in order to be able to stop yourself:
Caffeine, alcohol, and similar stuff that would trigger and couple your mood many times.
Know and appreciate yourself and your interests
Having interests and having the will to spend time with them is a way to bipolar disorder treatment. Like I said about choosing anger over anxiety, you can choose to love and appreciate yourself instead of anger. You have to develop a self-respect and self-worth. When your mood starts to swing, it is possible that you cannot recognize your true worth. Most probably you will see yourself less worthy than you would normally see.
At those times, it is important to deal with something you are good at. Any hobby may do. This will remind you fo the good things in your life and help you to accelerate your mood shift faster.
I know that questions may arise from this, and I will go on with them if you wish.
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