Bipolar 101 – Welcome back to Mania my old friend
Mania is something that those of us with bipolar disorder welcome (at least most of the time). After all, who doesn’t love unlimited energy, the need to never sleep, and the best frame of mind in the world?
Well, it may sound great, and like it’s an amazing moment, but it can actually be a very scary moment. Your judgment is out of order. I mean really off. You can’t sleep no matter how hard you try. Focus, well, what is focus? Did he really want to focus on something, anything? As I was saying, you can send your attention out the window.
Aside from those little issues, it’s great.
You have enough energy to do everything you couldn’t do well when you were in a depressive episode. or you can achieve anything you set your mind to if you focus hard enough.
So mania really is a bipolar person’s best friend. He gives you a chance to catch up with the world that you missed while you were down.
Mania has now entered my world again. How can I know? Well, it’s quite simple. Aside from my husband’s assurances that I am, in fact, in a manic episode, I have noticed the differences myself.
Sleep, gone. I can’t sleep no matter what. I go round and round and my brain just won’t turn off. So many things to do, so many thoughts running around, not enough time, not enough time.
eat, yes lots. However, I am a bit backwards from normal. Most of us eat during depressive episodes. Like when I’m manic. I feel familiar at all times of the day. Like I couldn’t get enough food in my stomach if I tried. just hungry. so hungry
sex drive Yes, that has also increased. If my life allowed it, I would have sex all day and all night. However, I have said enough on that subject.
Activity level? Through the roof. I feel like I could run a marathon. Dogs are tired of me, instead of me being tired of them. My exercise regimen, my way of maintaining my mental stability during depression, is more than flourishing. Tons of energy, copious amounts of exercise. I feel alive. Excellent.
The mentality changed. That’s how it is. Things that seemed impossible just a week ago seem like simply easy tasks to do today. Things I could do in my sleep (in the meantime, things I could do in my sleep, if in fact I could sleep).
And the symptoms continue. I know it will be a good week or a couple of weeks, depending on how long the mania lasts, but as always, I know there will be a crash and I will plunge back into the dark. Until then, welcome back mania, nice to see you again.