It's funny, I can usually see depression barreling toward me like a freight train, but hypo/mania tends to sneak up on me. I'm pretty self-aware most of the time, though. It's just that I don't see the subtler signs of imminent hypomania until I'm fully into the episode and I think, "Oh wait, I'm not sleeping, I'm cleaning all the time, and it's too noisy in my head---I must be going a little high." Mania, on the other hand, slams into me with the force of a tornado and then it's out of control and I need quick intervention to put an end to it. Thankfully I haven't had any full-blown manic episodes in several years now, but I'm always aware that they can come back at any time and ruin my life again.