As we all know, it IS possible to over-think things.....in fact, bipolars are notorious for it. Sometimes, though, we simply have reactions that aren't related to our illness at all, but to what we're going through at a given time---bad news, loss, change, financial problems etc.

The hard part is learning the difference, and that takes time. Somewhere between being hypervigilant about examining ourselves for any sign of an impending mood episode and utterly ignoring the oncoming train that's about to hit us, lies a healthy medium; our job is first to find it, and then use it to gauge where we are on the emotional spectrum. Not everything is a 'mood swing', thank God.

BTW, it takes a long time to learn all this. I've gotten much better at monitoring myself over the past few months, but also better at distinguishing what's just everyday emotion as opposed to a sea change in my mental landscape. It'll happen for you, too.