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i need advice (possible mania)

Eden1919Senior Contributor02 Feb 2025, 4:36 am AEDT

i need advice (possible mania)

hi hi hi everybody firstly i hope everyone is doing well and is having a good or ok time or at least is on their way to a good time in their lives anyway i am not sure if i am manic or not because i cannot tell and i was wondering if anyone had any advice because i am at a loss. so sorry if this is long but yeah anyway i havent been sleeping much like last night i didnt get to sleep until 12pm yes midday i stayed up all might and then didnt fall asleep until 1pm and then got up again at 3pm and tonight as you can probably see i am posting this at nearly 4:30am and anyway i am not tired and dont feel like sleeping yet so we will see what time i get to bed tonight but yeah oh and also i have been spending a lot of money well a lot for me i spent more than i get all week this week and it was on very much impulse buys like i probably would never have bought them normally and like some of the stuff is fun and i still want it and it is exciting but like not something i would normally buy and oh so i have been oh maybe i should start another parapgraph

ok so i have also been a little bit to focused on sexual stuff and like i am aroace so i am not actually attracted to other people but i have been messaging this guy and basically sexting (no pics have been sent on either end jut worded messages) and this has been going on for like anywhere up to 5 hours a day sometimes more actually and i know nothing about this guy except where he lives (in the uk) and like i am not meeting people or having actual sex but this is still very weird for me because usually i am not interested and yeah. oh and idk what i was about to say hmmm anyway i do feel good like i feel confident and happy and full of energy and i want to do so many things and oh i have been buying books too and i have been reading a little but um yeah so idk oh and i took an online test like an am i manic test and it said i was severely manic which like idk about that like the test was from a decent source and i answered really honestly but idk if it is right like surely i would feel more idk it just doesnt feel exactly like the other time when i was manic so idk if it is happening again or not. anyway i will try and stop there if anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated and of course thank you for reading this far if you have.

4 replies

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In response to: i need advice (possible mania)

GalaxyOwlSenior Contributor02 Feb 2025, 5:45 am AEDT

Re: i need advice (possible mania)

Hey Eden,

I have bipolar so I can help best I can based on my own experiences.

You seem to have a lot of awareness of what's going on! That's the first step for me generally. When I know what's going on, I can slow myself down and start to make intentional self-care decisions.

I'm also on the ace spectrum and generally have heightened libido and sexual drive when I am hypomanic, even if I'm not experiencing attraction.

Because attraction and libido aren't the same thing, it makes sense that may be affected, even if you're ace.

If you have friends or family who you can trust to help, and not enable you, it's definitely worth reaching out to them during daylight hours and explaining what you're experiencing.

You've identified that you're having trouble with excessive spending, so maybe advising those safe people to avoid talking to you about money, or their own purchases. Or ask them to pull you up if you make noises about buying something.

With the sleep thing, that's super normal for hypo/mania. We don't feel the need to sleep as much, so we sleep very little during that time. I think it's part of why the crash is so intense at the end! It's like our bodies are catching up and forcing us to come down and sleep 😅

If getting to sleep isn't working, try keeping routines in other places. eg. hygeine, food, exercise, medication, etc. because that will all help regulate you in lieu of regular sleep.

However, I would be very careful not to overdo it. Avoid starting new routines, just maintain existing ones.

Hypo/mania can be a really productive time. If we're stuck here anyway, why not use it to our advantage. Personally I would try to stay off social media as much as possible, it's always been a huge source of post-manic regret for me and most of my friends with bipolar.

If you're going to get into sommething new, focus on something that doesn't cost money, and isn't a long term plan. Committing to finishing that puzzle you have collecting dust on the shelf is a great way to use up the manic energy, or cleaning something you normally wouldn't have the energy or desire to clean, or organising some shelves.

I once stayed up a whole week modding a 15 year old video game and I barely slept or ate or really knew what was going on around me. But it got me through it.

That kind of focused productivity really helps me to ride it out, without engaging with risky behaviours (casual sex, driving while manic, overspending, making big life changes, etc.).

If you feel like the risky thoughts are just that, thoughts and urges, you should be ok to just ride it out .

If you are worried about it though, definitely call a hotline, and get advice.

In response to: i need advice (possible mania)

StuFSenior Contributor02 Feb 2025, 11:35 am AEDT

Re: i need advice (possible mania)

Hi @Eden1919

From my experience, what you're describing certainly sounds like mania.

But I'm not a doctor and I really don't know you...I would suggest that you need to talk to someone you can trust/is qualified to help you.

I hope it works out with a minimum of distress

In response to: Re: i need advice (possible mania)

DimitySenior Contributor02 Feb 2025, 11:41 am AEDT

Re: i need advice (possible mania)

Hi @Eden1919

I agree with @GalaxyOwl especially where they say

"If getting to sleep isn't working, try keeping routines in other places. eg. hygeine, food, exercise, medication, etc. because that will all help regulate you in lieu of regular sleep".

I remember you changed meds recently so I'd be inclined to check in with the prescriber as well.

Spending more than you can afford is a temptation - now you're aware of it can you cap or limit your card? Or change to cash for a while for essentials?

Thanks for checking in, I'd wondered how you were.

In response to: Re: i need advice (possible mania)

Eden1919Senior Contributor07 Feb 2025, 3:22 am AEDT

Re: i need advice (possible mania)

thanks @GalaxyOwl @StuF @Dimity for all your advice i am still not sleeping i think over the last 7 ish days i have had a total of about 15 hours sleep and my body isnt happy with that i have an infection and mouth ulcers which i only get when i am run down and i know it is because i am not sleeping but my brain wont shut off and it is too excited to sleep and idk what to do my meds are supposed to help me sleep but they arent currently working to do that and yeah i am just not sure what to do i have managed to limit my online spending though which is good but yeah and i am still having the issues with sex stuff but because of my infection (a uti) i havent been able to do much so that is kind of good in a way. but yeah i dont know how to get more sleep.

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