Is this hypomania?

sorry i have made a million posts today but am new and have a million questions. My doctor think I had a hypomania episode last week. I thought I was just feeling like my pychotherapy was finally working and I was freed of a lot of old baggage and just euporically happy to have this lifted.

These were my main "symptoms": went out shopping for clothes, got hair cut, did errands effieciently (instead of wandering wondering what to do first), bought a book and acctually started to read it, stayed up late, was super-focussed on work and getting a new job, called up friends when i am usually a hermit, and was sexually interested and looked up sexual stuff on the internet (i was embarassed to admit this one to my psychiatrist). Does this sound like hypomania or just how a normal person not having depression would live?????

thanks in advance for any insight.

It's hard to draw a line between happiness and hypomania. The main difference for me is the energy difference. When I am baseline and just normally happy, I still get tired and have normal sleep patterns. I am asleep by ten pm and sleep through the night mostly. When I am hypo, I feel like I never need to sleep. I go to sleep at midnight or one and wake up at five ready to go. I am super energetic throughout the day and can't sit still. I tap my feet or fingers constantly. If I'm baseline I can easily sit still.

What you described does sound like typical hypo, but also sounds like happiness. Think about if your energy level was different from your normal baseline. That should his you some insight.

I feel if mania or hypomania results in something negative it's mania or hypomania.

But I'm not a doctor and that kinda made no sense what i just said.

I would love to call it Euphoria.

Ofcourse I enjoy hypomania.

Your one sounds pretty close to my experiences and I am sure, I was euphoric in times like those.

Enjoy, in a controlled way!

Kind of sounds like hypomania to me.

When you are happy etc it's normal to do those things like run errands and get things done. But to ring friends who you have not spoken to in a long time and most importantly staying up late is a good indication it is.

Were you feeling tired? Did you wake up feeling like you didn't need much sleep? Apparently those are big indications of hypomania.

I'm not sure about teh sleep because i take xanax at night and it wipes me out. The one thing I remember is teh feeling of "hey I dont need xanax anymore because I don't care if I wake up early". Also was staying up late but not all night. I am just really having a hard time accepting this dx. The lows seem so much worse than the highs, but my medication seems to address the highs so much more, and this just seems unfair and wrong. Maybe full blown manic is bad, but this hypomania seems better than depression. Oh and one more thing, I went on Match.com and looked up potential mates when I have been in realationship for 20 years and never had any inclination to look around, except of course I am in love with my psychiatrist. I guess that also points to mania because i knew I was risking her finding out since i had to use my eamil address which she has access to. I changed the password as soon as I came down from this.

Also, I was glad to be alone in the house (my partner was away on a trip). I am normally terrified of being alone which is why I sometimes think I am borderline. Anyway this time I was elated she was gone so I could have free reign on my behavior (staying up- looking at sex stuff on computer). Does that sound familiar to anyone?

That really does sound like hypomania to me I'm sorry. Risky behaviour like seeking someone on Match.com when you have been in a relationship for 20 years and wanting to stop taking your medications are indicators. How much research have you done into the disorder? Both of what you have listed above are activities people with hypomania would do. Being the fact that you would not normally do these indicates an elevated mood.

I saw my dr yesterday and he said I needed to become aware of triggers etc and have as much knowledge of the disorder so I can see what is going on in my brain. This however, needs to be coupled with medication.

To me it looks like Hypomania

It does.I believe,hypomania and mania even having episodes of over work and creativity are not good for your brain in the long term.Neither is depression!

The difference that I can see between hypomania and happiness is grandiosity and recklessness. Did you experience these?