One of my closest friends is bipolar. You are fortunate to have gotten, and believed, a correct diagnosis at an early age.
My friend is unusually self aware and open with those of us she trusts. She has asked us (her husband, adult children, her father, a few close friends, her therapist) to help her be aware of small changes that signal a need for a tweek in her medications. We are her early warning system.
For her, those small changes are subtle, like becoming even slightly overly focused on her hair, her skin, her clothing choices. She is always fabulously put together on the surface, but if she starts trying to show me “This little strand of hair that isn’t quite the correct length”, and I can’t see that her hair looks odd, it is a sign. That isn’t a statement about anyone else in the world except her. (in other words, I wouldn’t think anything about it if any other friend started talking about a bad hair cut. For her, it is a sign that her meds might need a tweek.)
It is important, at least for her, to be willing to open up to a few people to be her canaries in the coal mine. I have learned that it is very important to know that meds need to be adjusted once in awhile, for the rest of her life, and that her relationship with a therapist and psychiatrist are forever. She may have long periods of time when she doesn’t need to see either one, and then an occasional period when she needs to see them frequently.
Professionally, she is able to perform at a very high level, in ways she would not have believed possible during the many years when she was misdiagnosed, or not able to believe and embrace her diagnosis.