After my recent post about stress leading to hypomania in bipolar, I’ve had a couple of questions about what tools I use to handle hypomania. I’m happy to share my experience with hypomania but I can’t promise it will agree with your own. (Remember, hypomania is not the same as mania. In bipolar I, mania can easily be life-threatening.)
Are You Hypomanic?
I know it’s tough to admit you’re hypomanic, which is a mood, which is a symptom of bipolar, because many of us enjoy parts of hypomania and we don’t want it to go away, especially considering some of the alternatives. We just want to believe we’re feeling “good.” Really good. Which would be nice.
Nevertheless, the first step in dealing with bipolar hypomania is realizing that you’re hypomanic. And, of course, there are various degrees of hypomania – the more hypomanic you are the more worried you probably should become. The more hypomanic you are the more you need to focus on dealing with it properly because the chances are greater are there’s a nasty depression waiting for you at the end. (See, Self-Diagnosing Hypomania.)
How to Handle Bipolar Hypomania – Self-Talk
So, once you know you’re hypomanic, what’s next?
The first step in dealing with hypomania is self-talk. If you know you are hypomanic then hopefully you can create the presence of mind to not make decisions based on your mood. Yes, I understand you feel like you’re the most brilliant person on Earth but the President probably doesn’t want to hear about it, k?
Self-talk is about your own awareness. Yes, I’m hypomanic, that’s why I’m feeling this way. Yes, I’m hypomanic, that’s why I want to act this way.
If you know that, and you can (probably) repeatedly tell yourself that, then you can start to correct some of the problems that are likely to happen when you’re hypomanic.
Dealing with Bipolar Hypomania
So to deal with bipolar hypomania:
- TAKE YOUR MEDS and see your doctor if the hypomania puts you or your life in jeopardy
- Don’t make any big decisions; don’t make any major purchases
- Don’t eat sugar or caffeine; don’t take drugs or drink alcohol
- Don’t skip meals – force yourself to eat good food
- Breathe – your hypomania is going to want to speed you up but purposeful, deep breathing will slow you down – but you have to do it for it to work
- Try meditation or yoga (if that’s your thing)
- Exercise to wear off the excess energy in a positive way (One commenter mentioned this can be activating for them so be careful about that.)
- Force yourself to sleep on schedule (I admit to using sleeping pills for this. I believe it’s much better to take pills and sleep than to not take pills and not sleep. I believe it is much better for mood and this one step can often right hypomania immediately.)
- Check in with yourself on your actions – before you go and sleep with that handsome stranger, check in with yourself and really see if it’s you that wants a one night stand or the illness. Are you really angry with your friend or is it the illness?
In short, whatever the hypomania wants you to do, do the opposite. That’s not a very fun rule but it is a generally true rule of thumb. Hypomania feeds on itself so the more you give into its behavior the stronger it will get (just like depression).
Self-Awareness and Bipolar Hypomania
Dealing with hypomania is like dealing with any other mood – you need to see the mood, analyze the mood and outthink the mood. It’s hard but that’s what self-awareness is about. And self-awareness is what’s going to get you out of the jams that hypomania has a tendency to put you into.
(This is not to suggest you can always do this on your own. Sometimes other people can be your saving grace as they can see your behavior and moods much more clearly than you can. It’s OK to lean on them for their insight too.)
Thankfully I found the helpfull tips on how to not react when in the mood to tell someone else off. I have not felt good physically for 2 days- and today I took the hearbal medication-“St.John’s Wart, ( 4 of them). I stoppeed my Paxil-thinking they were not working. Reality is that I need to go see my doctor for my anxiety that might be more than just that- maybe I am Bipolar. Like I mentioned I felt like telling someone who is married to my sister off. I live in there home, out of nowhere he tells my sister everything that I do that bothers him. First it is I have too many “UPS-Fed Ex” packages. That complaint he has snide comments that I hear from my sister telling me about what he said. And if that was not enough- the other day hee sceamed at the top of his voice for over an hour about a bill he did not want to pay. Today, his problem is about setting my stuff in the other room when clearly he knew I was cleaning today and that I needed the extra space. I understand his Bipolar issues could be the total effect- But it is making me feel like I am going crazy. because I have not had trouble with him before- and I want to “fight or flight” because of this. I hate feeling afraid-
For me the big difference between depression and hypo-mania is that depression is very visual, like my mind is constantly dreaming, usually the past, bad memories, problems, or imagining the worst case scenario, worrying about everything, to the point where I believe things that aren’t true.
Then hypomania is more “in the moment” thinking, everything seems clear, positive, new, beautiful – I feel very alive, I’m no longer in that dreamy mind state. It’s like the filter of judgement from the mind is gone, but also that moral compass, there are no rules anything is possible kind of thinking. And then of course everything goes from really awesome, to holy shit what did I do last night, and then the inevitable next wave of depression.
Personally, I try to differentiate hypomania from happiness. I see moods as drugs (in truth, it is really just a balance of chemicals in my brain) which is different from an authentic feeling. A feeling is something which is wrapped up in a meaningful story about me and the people in my life. It’s like making cookies.
Hypomania is eating raw sugar. It’s sweet, but all by itself it lacks depth. So, I end up trying to mix it with things like ideas, projects, people I don’t know very well. I want to make it meaningful. But, it isn’t. Hypomania has no inherent meaning, any more than depression does.
I find it easy to tell myself the story that depression is just an imbalance and the ideas which attach to it are more or less random. Sometimes they are traumatic things, but sometimes they are incredibly trivial. It helps to say that to myself, that the depression isn’t meaningful, it’s just a circumstance.
It’s much harder, after having been depressed and lethargic, to tell myself that hypomania isn’t meaningful either. But I think of it as if it were a drug like amphetamine. A drug like that isn’t happiness, it isn’t energy; it’s just a different circumstance. Almost inevitably, it’s not better than depression in terms of the outcome.
People ought to be concerned about taking stimulants, and bipolar people (I think) ought to be even moreso. Hypomania is like that only, unfortunately, I can’t control it by not taking it. I need to take something else to layer on top of that. Of course, that sucks because – who wants to stop taking drugs? That is what makes them addictive to begin with, right?
But, overall, I find myself better able to deal with Hypomania by understanding it as an addiction. That makes some actions easier to understand. Why do I have this desire to stop taking medication? Because I’m an addict. It’s not my fault. I became addicted to whatever balance of chemicals makes me hypomanic a very long time ago, and not in any way which could be called choice.
And so, I’m placed in this very precarious position of being required to always make a decision not to take hypomania. I have to pay money to a psychiatrist to prescribe me not-hypomanic and then go to a pharmacy to buy not-hypomanic. I need to remember to squirrel away a little not-hypomanic in various places in case I lose or misplace it.
It’s a very hard decision to keep making on a daily basis, and it feels like a very unfair one. But reasonable people make the responsible decision to avoid powerful stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine. And so, reasonable bipolar people need to make the same decision, in our own way.
That is a frame of mind which helps me most of the time.
This was a very good text. About the addiction and the trough that none want to quit this addiction and it is extremely hard.
“Dealing with hypomania is like dealing with any other mood – you need to see the mood, analyze the mood and outthink the mood. It’s hard but that’s what self-awareness is about. And self-awareness is what’s going to get you out of the jams that hypomania has a tendency to put you into.”
YES, this is exactly it.
For me hypomania, is mostly ‘excess of emotions’ mostly positive ones, but it’s paralysingly too much. However, it is possible to deal with it, by sort of diving into the superhuman I-want-to-get-everyhting-done-NOW mentality, and dispersing it. For me it’s thinking about things sequentially, in order to defeat the overwhelming need to do everything at once & as a consequence get absolutely nothing done, because the concentration is actually shot & thought keep jumping around & I can’t actually follow the argument properly when reading (which is mostly what I do as a history student). Not working atm though, evidenced by the fact I’m writing this
I am not diagnosed a s bipolar, but I experience shifts in mood that I call my ups and downs. They are reactions to life events. I’ll go through a stressful time, then feel better later. I deal with chronic arthritis pain and the ups and downs of fibromyalgia and hypothyroid, as well. Obsessive thinking mostly occurs during stress – mine or my adult children’s. For me, it’s related to problem solving. I can’t let go of the issue until it turns out better, because I can’t relax until it does. What I have to watch out for in this process is to proceed cautiously. If I rush to fix something while I am upheaved, it’ ill not be well thought out , and I risk messing things up more.
I have had the benefit of much counseling over the past 40 years, and know to back up, take deep breaths, and journal my feelings – NOT MY THOUGHTS. There is a huge difference. I have to consider boundaries – mine and others’. I have to consider consequences, long and short term. I have to consider what I need to do NOW, not past or future, and I have to proceed lovingly detached from others. I have to make a plan. I have to ACT, not REACT.
Finally, I find that quiet time is when my thoughts are MOST OBSESSIVE. As I lie down to breathe and relax, my brain becomes an agitating “washing machine” of swirling, intermingling thoughts. I do better when I get up and journal to sort them out and get perspective. I develop an action plan with timeline, and it works. Most of the time, I find myself whittling the problem down to it’s size and dumping all the minute details associated with it. The mountain becomes a molehill, and sometimes no action is required, as the problem resolves itself over time.
My deceased husband of 34 years and my present Sweetie of 9 years were both bipolar. 2 of my children are bipolar. The expressions of it are varied. It is difficult to live with someone in that situation. I have had to learn about it from many of the people I love. The good news is that is is manageable in most cases, but knowledge and the willingness to employ it is key. Nothing changes until something changes.
One thing about hypomania that is sort of misunderstood is that not all hypomania leaves a person feeling good. I have horrible irritable hypomanias that mean my mood is “on the rise”, and even mixed-episode hypomanias which are even more horrible. Of course, not all of them are like that, in fact I have just had a months-long, “good” hypomania that I was only able to recognize recently by the fact that any negative talk anywhere from anyone made me irritated-it’s unlike me to be so intolerant. I asked my husband if he noticed any other symptoms, he said I was a bit “obsessive”- mostly talking about natural disasters and checking out books on natural disasters. (Weird, usually my obsessions are about music but hey,hypomania doesn’t always act the same all the time). I went to the doctor…oh, how I did not want to go, because I didn’t feel sick!….and she noticed some “switching” and the fact that I was speaking rapidly. Also noted a large caffeine intake (I normally do not drink it). I now feel like garbage, with my seroquel and tegretol raised just a bit. I felt good and I now feel like crap, exactly why I didn’t want to go in. But I will save myself from the progressive rise to mania, save myself months of recovery, and also save my family from having to deal with it, too. This is the first time I’ve caught mania before it became uncomfortable, so I’m pretty happy with my ability to catch it, and to overcome the gigantic urge to keep feeling good. Maybe I’ll have a good summer for once, instead of battling a hypomania/mania I didn’t catch in time.
I beleive my husband is hypomaniac. Never really diagnosed. He took prozac for few years. stopped cause says made him too emotional. Seemed to stop working so well anyway. He is angryoff and on, narcistic, road rage, changes clothes 4+ times before leaving, high sex drive, curses constany. Always right. How do you approach this? Freinds ask are you taking your meds he gets very ugly to them.
Tired of constant transference that I have problem and everyone is stupid. Sometimes he sees it in himself but
He really likes the mania. Never seems low. More mania than normal lately. So tired. Feel like don’t know which way is up.
I have just encountered this , hypomania and more or less feeling the same way as others, luckily I took a home loan so that my spending doesn’t go in wrong direction and if at all I need to spend then why not I make assets .
I thought I am depressed from 1 year and went to doctor but come to knows that it is actually hypomania and increased level of energy only.
My doctor has started with mood stabilizers. I request the author to please share how to avoid side-effects of this medicine. The medicine is Valproate 300.
Is it wrong to admit that I LOVE me when I’m hypo? Or that others do? I am not asking this from that state, and I am not asking your approval of it, just stating the facts. I KNOW my shooting squad loves it. When I walk into the club, they will assess me from across the room, and they know to just leave me alone. I’ve heard them say things like “he’s ready” or “he’s locked in” or the like. And hypomania does not harm me there, it helps. Seriously. Statistically. I have shot scores in excess of my ability level while hypo. And, no, it isn’t inflated ego. Targets are broken or not broken. Statistics do not lie.
I do not have a large social circle. But those I have know me well, and they often talk of a sparkle or glimmer. Usually when it is absent. Usually prefaced with “Are you ok?” Trouble is that the sparkle IS hypomania. I AM the center of attention when I’m hypo (no, that isn’t a feeling, I’ve asked people. They all say the same thing) and people (including me) want that all the time. The trouble is that I think the hypo me is the real me. I deal with the depression in my own ways. Usually finding a way to cycle to hypo.
Last fall, after an unwanted sexual encounter with my best friend, (was a beautiful and purely platonic relationship–I SWEAR–until she forced herself upon me) I had a huge fall and was depressed heavily for the longest time in my life. I thought about suicide a lot, and finally saw a psychiatrist. She prescribed —REDACTED… What she prescribed is irrelevant… A mood stabilizer, antipsychotic, antidepressant and sleep aid— I went home and did what I always do. RESEARCH. I did so much research that I freaked myself out so badly that I never filled them.
On to the present. I have essentially known I am bipolar for 15 years, diagnosed for 9 months, and treated…never. My issue is that I love being hypomanic. [(Some) – Lots?] People love when I’m hypomanic. Could it be possible (like diabetes, for example) that I am coping with it and managing it by myself? (with the help of others) Or should I just shut up, go back to the doc, and fill my meds, learn to live with whatever comes then?
I know this comment was posted 2 years ago, but here I am at 4 AM, hypomanic. I agree with you. I love hypomania – it’s why I refuse to take medication, why I’ve decided to navigate being bipolar. I’m electric, alive when I’m hypomanic, and other people pick up on that; it’s magnetic. Maybe it isn’t really me, but it’s me 2.0, and if I have access to that, why block it?
Yes! Yes! Yes!! I couldn’t have said it better myself. The “real me” is me when I am hypomanic. All my fears and anxiety go away when I am hypo, and I am actually able to be me! I will NEVER take medication so that goes away. Being hypo are the only times in my life, since I was abused as a small child, that I am actually not afraid of myself or the world, and I can actually let ME out. All my walls dissapear. I too, have learned to navigate through without meds, deal with the depression when it comes, and learn ways to cycle back to hypomania. I also cannot even being to tell you how theraputic being hypo has been for me. During my most recent hypomanic episode, I was finally able to come to terms with my sexual abuse, and my abuser.. and I was able to forgive him..(FORGIVE HIM) and was able to finally let go of all the anger and the pain, the fear.. everything.. and truely forgive him. If you have not been abused in this way, you cannot imagine how wonderful..how freeing.. how postive.. that was. That NEVER would have happened without the hypomania. Now, Im not saying it is like this for everyone.. but for me.. my bi-polar disorder has been a godsend. Yes, I may make life decisions during hypo that others may see as extreme and life changing.. however, any changes I have made have always had a positive impact, because I was making them during a time when I was no longer afraid to make them. For instance, it was during a hypo episode that I was finally able to leave a very destructive long term relationship because I no longer feared the relationship ending, and was no longer afraid to be alone. I wanted to leave for a long time before that, but was stuck in negative delusions about myself that I unfortunately normally feel due to depression. Again, I never would have been able to do this without the Hypomania..I simply wasn’t strong enough on my own. Hypo gave me the strength, the postivity, and the guts to make the changes that really needed to be made. For that, I thank god everyday for my so called “disorder”. Yes, it can be a pain in the ass to deal with, and yes it is dibiliating for alot of people, but for me, it has been a blessing. Oh, one last thing.. people around me too like me when I am hypo. They say I seem more myself.. and I couldn’t agree more.
I really needed this ,I have been trying to “slow”down,sleep,ect for four days.
Hello, thanks for sharing these helpful comments. Not sure anyone is still posting on this one.
I have an adult son who is currently hypomanic but without insight–i.e., we are “worrying” and “overreacting.” He had a first BD episode after some crushing losses 3 years ago, a week’s hospitalization, took meds for a while, then off, then resumed after a second initial manic episode (managed with meds); he’s been off meds for a year by his insistence and doesn’t want to “be ill” — “I’m fine” etc. After leaving an attorney job he’s doing a few contract jobs but probably lost a couple due to getting irritable with the other lawyers who hired him. In the last week he has shifted from wanting to open his own law office (pretty realistic) to wanting to produce films from his “beautiful ideas” (unrealistic) and get a line of credit to do so. Any thoughts or suggestions about if and how you might help someone with hypomania who 1. is convinced he is “fine” and 2. refuses to see his former providers?
Hi Tracy and all fellow sufferers,
I was diagnosed bipolar very recently after being treated for 5 years with anti-depressants. They don’t work, in fact they make bipolar worse in my case. 40mg of citalopram nearly made me suicidal. I have not yet done the stats but I reckon I am 90% depressed. Bummer!
At the moment I am high as a kite and have been for the best part of a month. Blogging and reading up on the internet is part of the problem for me. I have no inhibitions right now so I am exporing online dating, soft porn and strip tease. I think I am just feeding the mania but it is really hard to stop. My doctor cut my citalopram to 0mg and that has sent my libido sky high. I am a bit of a mess right now talking to anyone and looking for god in pubs. Help!
Hey Tim and all,
I can´t say I really know how to relate to reactions to medicine as I’ve never been diagnosed by a doctor, and self-diagnosis is damn dangerous (i.e. 90% depression is a statement that should be taken with a pinch of salt), but I can relate to how you’re feeling. I know how good it feels to rant out your stifled frustrations and euphoria, but not too many ever seem to reciprocate or listen, which makes it feel like screaming towards a brick wall.
Inhibitions feel unnatural when you’re on top. I know it does for me at least. When I’m on top I’m untouchable, I feel charming and like I can get laughs at will and achieve that which I set my mind to. When I’m down it’s like everything’s not working as it should. I feel awkward in my manner, and people don’t repond as I see them reacting in my head. This leads to some very frustrating times, and I prefer to skip work and sleep the days away; truancy has been a prominent aspect of my academic years and I’m holding on with every grain of willpower within me to not slip back into it.
I can only ponder what you felt when you say you were suicidal, but I’ll admit I’ve been there. Having suicidal thoughts and being suicidal are two different things though and an important distinction should be made here I think. I probably shouldn’t delve into an analysis, I’m certainly not qualified.
The hightened libido comes with the rush of inclining temperament. I know I feel great when I’m up there, but I always try and pace it; like the article mentions, going all in way to fast only speeds up the ride and worsens the downturn. It ain’t easy…
I don’t know where I went with this and if there’s any coherency to relate to. I just wanted to reply to your post as it feels good to share, and it might just strike a nerve for whatever purpose.
I have to say this is most helpful as I have been hospitalized three times with this wretched disease. I have to admit that the scariest dreams I have at night are going back to that place. This article will help me with coping so I won’t have to go back.
Thank you for being a voice. I wish I had a straight jacket for when I have these episodes.
Hi Laura,
I try. I can’t help you with the straightjacket, but I can say that if you work with your support network they might be able to act as a bit of a straightjacket for you. Maybe a more pleasant one too. Once you reach out to them, if you can, they can help you tone down some of your behavior and help you make better decisions. They can check in on you, hold onto your credit cards, that sort of thing.
Just a thought.
– Natasha Tracy
I have Bipolar I and I recently experienced a hypomania that quickly escalated into a mania and then I ended up in a psychiatric hospital for ten days. I had made a deal with my psychiatrist to contact her when I started losing sleep, as I do when I am manic. After this most recent episode, though, I have decided that I will make an appointment the minute I begin to feel hypomanic. Thankfully, a change in my medication should make hypomania less likely to take hold. I was thinking that I had everything under control, and then I had to be hospitalized. It was disappointing, but I did figure out how to better handle my hypomania in the future. Everyone has to come up with their own plan for this, because everyone’s hypomania and/or mania is different.
I think I’m hypomanic right now (recently diagnosed so I’m not sure). It’s not a pleasant experience for me at all, more on the agitated, raging irritability side of things. Even with sleeping pills, I’m hardly sleeping, but don’t feel sleepy. This has happened to me before, but I never knew what it was. Now that I do know, it’s kind of freaking me out.
Thanks for these tips Natasha, It’s extremely useful for people like me who are still learning the ropes. I’m definitely going to use them to try to rein myself in until I get to see my dr. OK, off to do some pre-work yoga!
Hi Liz,
Glad to see you have a bit more insight into what is happening. That is key to handling it successfully.
I also wrote about the recognition of irritation and anxiety in general if that helps: http://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2012/02/recognition-of-irritation-and-anxiety/
– Natasha
Did my comment post?
Hello Tracy,
I am new to your blog! How courageous to name it and break it down. I have worked with many people with biploar and I agree with your suggestions. One of the things that I learned from my own research in this area is the necessity of minerals, omega 3&6, stress adaptogens such as Ashwaganda and other superfood supplements like blue green algae.
It is managing the whole self for the higher good and not just what feels good right now. And that is the awareness each person needs to develop. Difficult but neccessary not only for the person involved but essential for the families.
I am excited to delve into your site and will absolutley recommend it to my clients. Thanks so much.
I love you choice of words ‘managing your whole self for the higher good’.
Hi Mavjit,
Thanks for dropping by. I’m glad you like the site. Thanks for your comment.
– Natasha Tracy
Gotta say Tash, you’re a lot tamer than me.
Because I spend 68% (yes I’m a statistician and have collected data over a long period) of my time depressed, when I go hypo I have to hold onto it. Tons of coffee, energy drinks, no sleep, heaps of grog (tolerance goes through the roof), eat like a bird, and exercise like a madman.
But that said, I lock up my credit card, put the speed limiter on in my car, and other ‘controls and checks’ so I don’t damage myself or my family too much.
Gotta say, this time I landed myself a promotion and a big pay rise!!!
Hi @ar610,
Well, if that works for you, that’s good, but that wouldn’t work for most people and it definitely wouldn’t work for me. The worse the hypomania, the worse the depression afterwards and they are bad enough as it is.
(FYI, 68% isn’t that bad, statistically, and is less than the average person with bipolar disorder II spends depressed. Not that I’m suggesting it’s _good_ for the person, just, you know, overall, you’re better compared to many.)
– Natasha Tracy
Right now it feels like a hypo’ would make for a nice change … been down way too long. But then, more latterly, what hypo’s there have been were generally dysphoric and they ain’t one bit of fun! Bah!
Hi Graham,
I know, sometimes it feels like you can’t win no matter what. But stability is winning and hopefully you’re headed in that direction.
– Natasha Tracy
Well, there is stability of a sort: The swings are not between the extremes that they have been in the past, but I was warned by the psychiatrist that the meds will not control the RATE of switching. However, I seem to have entered a long stable but depressed phase (save for the rare odd days when a hypo breaks through) and the trend has been steadily downwards since last Summer. There is an underlaying, co-morbidity anyway, of Dysthymic Disorder. Dysthymia may well be described as a “low level” depression, but I have said before, it’s low level as a drip from a tap is low level compared with a torrent, but it’s a constant enduring drip on the same place all day, every day, like a Chinese water torture! However, this “feels” to have gone lower than the usual level for the Dysthymic depression. It’s just as well that I have two kids to make breakfast for, take to school, feed when they get home and do all the rest that goes with being a parent to teenagers! It’s the reason for getting out of bed in the morning! :¬)
Hi Graham,
I can say that often stability is the first step and mood elevation is the second. It sounds like you might be caught between the first and second step.
Of course that second step can be a doozy for some people. Don’t give up though, the answer is out there.
– Natasha Tracy
All of my worst life decisions have been made while hypomanic. Unfortunately I only saw the results after the fact. Now that I am medicated the hypomania is less often, but thevthreat is always there. Thanks for the informative article.
Mamatink,
Yes, that’s the trouble. Everything feels “good” and then the aftermath is inevitably not so good. I find medication is very successful at suppressing hypomania but it’s not as good at handling the depression.
– Natasha Tracy
I spend a lot of time depressed, so when I am hypo-manic I am pretty happy. I do have to follow the rules though. No discussing politics or religion with anyone. No shopping anywhere – not even the Dollar Store where I’ve managed to spend tons of money on things I don’t need just because “it’s cheap”. I usually get out my to do list and do some of the projects on it. Luckily I have my 27 year old daughter and my husband to watch over me and they let me know when I am going too far. I’ve asked them to tell me when I need to stop. I usually listen to them, but have to admit to some middle of the night quiet sorting & organizing. So far I’ve been able to talk to myself and tell myself that it’s time to stop or I will be headed for big trouble. Thanks for your wonderful post.
Norell,
Appreciate your no-nonsense, logical approach what is an irrational part of our illness. My 30 year old niece and friend is so patient and understanding when I become hypomanic but that girl will tell me when I am going too far. Glad you have such a good support system.
Hi Norell,
You’re welcome and thanks for sharing a few of your own tips.
– Natasha Tracy
I cope with hypomania on a daily basis. Just thought it was my right to expect others to appreciate my brilliance and slightly obnoxious rantings. Actually I do have some insight and have some reasonable perception of my over-the-top behavior when I am enveloped in hypomania. It can be so seductive and self-destructive. The battle never ends, does it. I appreciate your clear desciption of the effects of it. That helped remind me of just how much a part of my rapid cycles it is. Just need to always be mindful of how much it can control me if I let it. You are so right, other people see it when I am not aware. When I see that look in their eyes or the fact they are distancing themselves from me should be a clue. It is so deceiving. Just when you think you are representing your true, yet colorfully charming self, you aren’t.
Hi Laurie,
Yes, I think seductive really is the right word. Everything seems so “great,” and really you might be making all the wrong decisions. But the wrong decisions feel “good.” It’s got to be one of the more confusing moods.
– Natasha Tracy
Thank for this article,i am hypomania now.Is very useful for me.
Great Simona, happy to help.
– Natasha Tracy
What a perfectly thorough article, you covered everything! All of those things work for me… and I do mean ALL, you can’t leave out anything, the exception for me might be exercise. If I am hypo-manic, even exercise can be like putting a match to gasoline. Usually I have to shut right down and that means, go to bed! Watch TV (a very NOTHING activity). And wait til it passes. Because if you let it escalate, the trip down will be even worse. So I find that purposely trying to bring myself down can sometimes prevent an actual crash.
Am hypomanic at the moment. First time! Been very difficult for me, but especially for my precious wife. Hypomania brought on by stressful events. Thank you Natasha for your invaluable insights. And to all those experiencing hypomania, hang on in there, ‘this too shall pass!’
Hi Chris,
I’m sorry the hypomania has been difficult but I hope these tips will help.
And you’re right, of course, this too shall pass :)
– Natasha Tracy
Oh and one more thing -I find that cleaning the house, which is something I hate, is an excellent way to expend unwanted energy without generating more.
I handle hypomania using all of the above strategies, and it’s very important to recognise it because it’s a warning sign of impending mania.
The key thing is sleep, but the second thing is to avoid stimulation and conflict. No TV or movies, no arguing with people online, no going to the shops during peak hour, cut down the social contact to family only and a few treasured friends. No facebook, no blogs.. you get the idea. Nothing that is going to trigger an emotion of any kind.
Hi Sarah,
Thank-you, that’s a good point. I find that avoiding emotional activation is important in dealing with any severe mood episode.
Oh, and yes, housecleaning never breeds more housecleaning where I’m concerned ;)
– Natasha Tracy
Thank you for this, not least the reassurance that I am not hypomanic although I will discuss with pdoc on Wednesday – has been bothering me a bit as I do more and more stuff but I am doing to completion rather than having a pile of started but not finished, not squandering £££ but maximising what little I do have, so I’m OK at the moment. Please forgive the self-examination and again thank you for these words. David
Hi David,
No problem about the introspection. I’m a fan.
Glad I could help but you’re right, it’s a good idea to double-check with a doctor. Good on you for doing that.
– Natasha Tracy
Hi Natasha, I hope that you will have the time to consolidate your original post and the comments it’s eliciting into a significant article on the subject of hypomania, a term thrown around by the pros even though they do not know what it means in their strange closed world of mental health care.