Mood swings are a normal part of life for most everyone, IMO. I think it's a matter of intensity & duration for folks with BD. When we get into the mire, it's probably important to determine those factors. One thing that helps me is an app that tracks moods on a daily basis. To be honest, I haven't used it lately, but when I did, it helped me separate random mood swings from longterm trends. I think it's perfectly normal to have a healthy fear of depression given the fact that most of us have suffered long & hard in its grip. Ditto with mania. It's sad, however, to piss on a few good days by worrying about whether one is hypo, or not. Sometimes we just have to go with the flow of life. I'm writing this from a good mental space, though...