What does mania really feel like?

Can someone tell me the difference between mania and just pure anxiety? And do stimulants cause it to be worse, like coffee? Do you have the desire to do so much, but have the inability to just focus on doing it? Do you feel like you have this hum inside, nervousness, but not exactly?

Keep pacing the floor but not no where to go? Keep checking things over and over, even more than usual? Go in one direction to do something, but maybe forget it halfway through, and start on something else? Forget things more easily, just simple every day things? Find it hard to even get dressed or decide what to do first?

Do you choose to maybe eat something or pop a pill or anything, just to have a focus, even if you're not hungry?

Any perspective would help.

yes,((((hopeful)))) for me the anxiety along with the mania is that way, which was beautifully written by the way, but also there are periods when i feel indistructible, more aware than anyone around me, but that always changes to the anxiety soon enough, which sucks bad. take care

yea that is basically what it is like for me as well, i will be right in the middle of doing something and just completely forget about what it was, and start something else, which isnt good bc it pisses my teachers off alot >.< but yea thats basically mania, different for different people though

My Mania was very unpleasant with none of the euphoria that others have experienced. It was full of paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, thinking people were going to kill me. Was scared of the dark, thought demons were always there. Faces would turn evil.

Yeah, there is a big difference.

When I"m manic I feel like my whole body is just buzzing or humming, I'm constantly fidgiting, can't focus, sit still, I start fogetting things, I get edgy and snappy with people. I get overwhelming urges to do self destructive things, I also get very parinod, and if my mania is in a severe state I'll start to hallucinate.

Caffinee does make it worse, VERY worse, when in a manic state is is best to avoid ALL stimulatnes (caffine, alcohol, drugs, etc) they will just provoke it and aggrivate it, I have to watch my caffine intake, for my anxiety and my mania, if I"m manic or I'm starting to cycle into mania I don't drink any cafffinee.

I hope this was of some help

Best wishes
Typo

I actually have happy manias... hyper and creative (but my creations often do not makes sense, when I am trying to write I just jot down words or phrases... etc.), I want to get out and interact, or at least I interact on the boards and write ridic status updates on my facebook...
I tend to be irratitable... waiting irritates... I wait for the subway or tram and pace back and forth on the platform...

I'm all over the place, I have to do something, have to keep myself busy... because if I didn't I feel I would explode... I sometimes feel like i must emit sparks when touching metal.

I also feel detached from the reality. Like I walk the street for example and have almost out-of-body experiece....

walking seems to help. It takes out the irritation.

Yea, I actually start tingling too, I get very antsy and everything seems to cause me to snap. Just the other day my class was playing a review game for a test, I actually had to put my hands over my ears, and I started screaming and flipped a desk and left. It's bad a lot of the time. I get extremely paranoid as well, I have even tackled my own dad bc I thought he was trying to sneak up on me and kill me. So mine gets pretty bad >.<

Thanks you guys for all of your answers. I'm just trying to figure out if this is what I'm really experiencing.

It has been different at other times - sometimes I DO feel really creative and just pleasantly high, indestructible. Hmmmm, not sure when the last time that was however.

But this time it's just an annoying humming, and I'm most certainly irritable and snappy today. One cup of coffee this morning seemed to tip me over the edge. The sound of the TV in the background was torture and I had no capacity to deal with my child asking a simple question. Just him calling my name made me cringe. He asked me to sit down with him and I just told him honestly, "I can't sit still right now, I just can't." And all I was doing was walking the kitchen in circles, then back to the bedroom. Ironic for a mother to tell her six-year old that she can't sit still.

OMG Typo! I have never had anyone to understand the buzzing and humming inside. This is exactly what happens to me. Whenever I ask my friends if they ever have that feeling they just kind of look at me weird though I know they wish they could understand. I have another situation though. Recently I've noticed that in the mornings I wake up very scared, anxious, depressed and in pain. Does anyone else deal with this? What causes it? What can I do about it? I can have the most wonderful evening hanging out with friends and family but come morning I feel very suicidal. It's gotten to where I pop a xanax first thing every morning. I don't want to have to rely on that. Help me someone.

I deal with the same thing every morning AND every night. I'm sorry, but I have no advice, bc I have no clue why it happens, or how to stop it, I just wanted to tell you that you weren't alone, I feel the same. Lots of hugs for you, just try and relax in the morning, if you can fond out why you are paranoid, do the best you can't to comfort yourself. Hope you can find some peace in knowing you arent alone.

I used to wake up every morning with the biggest sense of impending doom pressing down onto me. When I woke up I was scared of everything and nothing all at the same time. I hyperventilated and began the day crying before even getting out of bed. Nothing has helped except for medications. I didn't want to rely on them either but it seems that I have no choice, as nothing else has helped me in that regards. You aren't alone and I'm sorry you feel that way. It really makes the day harder to get through to start out on such a bad note.