I have bipolar 1. What I do is "go meta" and think over the situation and discuss it, how I feel, and how I perceive the situation with a friend or counselor to sanity check. There are times when this fails (co-morbid anxiety disorders), but I find being able to talk through a situation helps immensely. Most of the time, I can even reason out of an anxiety attack or panic attack if I have support close by.