bipolar mania onset

Thanks Kato. I don't have anyone here to talk to about it and realised over the last few days that all my support people (all a very long way away) can only do so much. None of them has experienced bipolar or CPTSD and none of them has lived on the meds I do.

Hi eth,

Just wanted to say that I know how it feels.

The hardest part is trying to keep positive and to keep the imaginative lid on it till it can hopefully subside.

Have you also tried relaxation techniques like breath?

I think that is whay it is called deep breathing with the focus on positive reinforcement on inhale

Exhale is negative thoughts and concerns

I find 10mins is good for me it might helpful

I have similar problems, eth, and I really relate to what your saying. For me sleep is key, I can recognise when I've had a bad day or a few bad days and I'm falling into a pattern of poor sleep and I use prescribed sleeping (bad word) to get me get my sleep back in order. Recently I banished all screens and lights and pets from the bedroom to help minimise distractions in the night.

That mostly works. When it doesn't my moods can get very out of control to the point where I feel I'm losing my sense of reality. 😞

At this point I practice being ordinary :

I try to keep my words and actions ordinary even when my thoughts and feelings are not. Needless to say this is not easy.

I also recommend reaching out for help: Call your psych or counsellor for a crisis appointment, take leave, go to a support group, put off stressful activities, call life line, be proactive in managing stress and anxiety. I consider it an investment in my mental health.

My counsellor says : you do whatever it takes to stay sane.

Good luck!

Kato I do use breathing exercises with mindfulness practice but it's harder to do it when I get too agitated and hyper.

*hugs* that can really make a mess or of anyone, eth 😞

Hi eth,

I'm sensing from your post a level of anxiety of not being able to prevent your mania. I would imagine this anxiety would only be elevating your mania. You seem incredibly self aware and understand your moods - something which alot of people struggle with. Your proactive approach to finding strategies is awesome.

Lets accumulate a list of things that have worked before. So far from your posts I've seen;

- support network

- meds

- CBT

- Mindfulness techniques

- healthy diet

- sleep routine

- breathing exercises

- sleep hygiene

Is there anything else that has worked in the past too?

Are you actively still practicing any of the above still?

I have 4 tips which I have heard to help people before

1) Disturb your thoughts. When you hear and feel yourself becoming anxious about controling the mania, notice it and move your thoughts into 'what can I do' then pick maybe one of the above techniques/strategies. This reduces your anxiety about the possibility of your maina becoming out of control... which in turn can take away some of the energy that goes into your mania.

2) Even if you feel like something isn't working, it isn't harming, so keep doing it. If you feel that, for example, your breathing exercises aren't working, keep doing it. It may be making a little bit of difference. And if it isn't.. it's not hurting you

3) Hone in on your outlets. You mentioned you do some quiet things around the house, so it sounds like you possibly have this sorted! Basically this refers to finding an activity to occupy yourself during these times. As @kato mentioned, exercise is one choice, maybe something artistic if you're that way inclined.

4) notice your triggers that escalate things for you. Have a plan of what to do when you engage with these triggers - how to disengage with them

eg: A friend of mine builds websites. There has been times when he hasn't slept or eaten due to his mania - and he just obsesses with his website work. He now can recognise that this can escalate his mania when he's vulnerable, so he will purposely turn off his computer to stop feeding the trigger

Have you identified any triggers for yourself?