bpcyclist, I say there is nothing wrong with savoring a bit of more elated hypomania (or elevated "blip") for a change, as long as the beast is not fed and fed. I have been experiencing bouts of elated mood elevation lately, myself, which hasn't turned depressed, but often turns irritable in blips. And repeat. A bit of malaise finds itself in here and there in between, and then dissipates at the drop of a hat. Beethoven seems to be my elixir these past few days, but then the elixir becomes too stimulating and I figuratively fall down and bruise my butt. Boo!

I guess everyone can look at mood elevations in a different way. Certainly, the onset can be frightening if it had previously (and more recently) signaled a long-term issue that dangerously got out of hand, and maybe resulted in a crash deep in the opposite direction. But for me, unless the fire is fueled with that one shovel of coal after another (and a strong wind), the fire can seem bright and then lose its intensity, but just a bit. I have found that I can easily calm down to more of a happy stability easier than in the past. Whether or not I can do that at this precise time, I'm not sure, but I'm going to assume I can. At least that doesn't create a panic for me via catastrophizing. As long as I have an inkling of what's happening, I do have some modicum of control. I don't have a bonfire burning right now. It's more like a good fire in a wood stove. I can close the door and adjust the air intake a bit.

One can call me a stickler about terminology, and even criticize me for it, a bit. I know some have more than a few gripes about the DSM. But I do prefer to use my own terms "blips" and "mood elevation" rather than immediately label myself "hypomanic" or definitely not "manic" until that fire has started to burn a bit well beyond my best attempts at control. This is my choice and I find that, for me, it puts me more in control. It helps me avoid feeling at the mercy of the illness. This is not too unlike saying "I HAVE bipolar disorder" vs "I AM bipolar".

I realize that when I write stuff like above, I don't always get so many hugs or likes, as others. I'm willing to accept that, though. I come here for support and to give support, yes, but also to add to a conversation. In my view, no truly good community conversation is one where everyone agrees. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a deliberate contrarian.

Yes, I write a lot, too, but I usually do no matter what my mood.