Welcome to PC, hunter! I came to this site after I was just diagnosed, too, and I've found an incredibly supportive community with lots of helpful advice and answers. Everyone's experience with BP is a little different, but generally, you'll find that someone on here (or many people, typically!) has gone through the things you have questions about or post. I encourage you to read through the posts here, and post with any questions, challenges, and successes you have.

As to your specific questions in this post, I can relate to some. I frequently have the agitation mixed with fatigue. For me, it's related to my levels of anxiety. I'm not sure if it would be a red flag for you to mark an episode or something. It would be good to bring up with your pdoc (psychiatrist) or T (therapist), depending on what your care team looks like.

For identifying manic phases, I often get pressured speech, too. I have traditionally realized it when someone mentions it to me, but I'm getting better at noticing that and other symptoms of hypomania as they build. It took a few years of therapy, but I've gotten used to my set of symptoms by and large. I still have new/unusual symptoms crop up from time to time, and I post about them here to see what others' experiences are like compared to mine.

The outlook for me is that I will always have BP. Whether I'm up or down, I know that I will always come back through the cycle, again and again. Knowing that my depressions will pass (as well as my highs) can help a lot in riding them out. I don't know of anyone who is able to avoid the highs and lows altogether.

I can't speak to the lithium, but many others here have taken it and may be able to provide some insight for you.

Again, welcome to PC, and I hope you find some good support and resources here!