[CrazyLo]

When I'm hypomanic, I'm not the irritable type. I'm the happy, super motivated and productive type. But I have trouble knowing when I'm hypomanic. I have trouble knowing because I don't know what my "normal", stable mood looks like....I'm always either hypomanic, manic, psychotic, or depressed.

So I'm wondering, how do you know when you're "normal" and when you're hypomanic? Is it impossible to tell?

I asked my therapist this question but I haven't heard back yet and I am very impatient right now. She thinks I'm hypomanic but what if this is just my normal?

[polesapart]

Partly it's learning your signs, and at least for me getting feedback from others (particularly my husband). Some of my low level hypomania signs are -
- finding the sky mesmerising in its beauty, when others think it's ordinary
- smiling so much my cheeks hurt, even when nothing good is happening, eg when driving to work
- dancing instead of walking
- not spending any long amounts of time just chilling out (watching tv, reading, generally sitting still etc)

I'm getting better at telling, but I still find the line blurry.

I can tell when i'm starting to get manic but when it's at it's height i just think i am well at last and the good feelings will be permanent. They never are. I get beautiful, euphoric manias, like you. I'm not at all irritable. In fact my tolerance is epic. I can tell it's starting when i need less sleep, have boundless energy and start lots of new projects.

Inevitably i crash and have to clean up the mess i've made. I cancel everything. I'm high in the Spring and depressed the rest of the year. I sleep a lot, i'm tired and the future looks too dreary to bear.

It's like night and day.

[CrazyLo]

Yeah...I mean, I *might* be hypomanic. In the past when I've been hypomanic, I'm extremely content with life and optimistic and motivated. I'm super productive and extremely social. I get all these ideas for new projects. I get a little impulsive as well...like last week I shoplifted a couple of times. I don't normally do that. In the past, my impulsiveness looks like promiscuity and increased spending. I also tend to think I look more attractive than I probably am...very inflated self-esteem. When it's full-blown mania, it's still pretty euphoric but I'm extremely restless, dancing around, pacing and fidgeting and talking a mile a minute. Sometimes my anxiety gets out of hand. My senses are extremely heightened...I feel like I can HEAR everything, and everything looks so bright and sharp and crisp. I've also been told that I act like an 8 year old child. I don't know about that one lol.

All I can think is maybe a "normal" for anyone is that I wouldn't be happy ALL the time. Like maybe my mood would fluctuate throughout the day. And I'm pretty sure normal people (if there is such a thing) would have bad days mixed in with the good days. For me right now, every day is a really good day.

[Melan.cholia]

My norm is pretty upbeat, so I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I'm always so elated when an episode of depression ends, that the juxtaposition between normal and depressed is just so... impacting?

Mania's too weird for me not to notice. Twinkly lights, ten projects at once, spending all of the monies,far too many good times with alcohol than are healthy... it also only rolls around once a year around the fall and early winter, so it's very easy to spot.

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Originally Posted by CrazyLo

last week I shoplifted a couple of times. I don't normally do that.

[CrazyLo]

Originally Posted by Lefty the Salesman

HAHA...that's pretty hilarious. But you're probably right, jokes aside.

[Slowbrains]

HI, I'm trying to learn my first symptoms: Often i get over interested of my work. Or i can start some "hobby" project which i get too much involved. This all feels to me very obvious and normal behavior. One common thing is that soon my wife will say that "I'm inside my brains" - just like in depression but positive way...

So If you can get feedback from close people, they might notice it much sooner than you.

I can't really stop myself before symptoms become too obvious, (i don't sleep etc...)

[Crazy Hitch]

I don't have much patience by nature and I can swing on the slightly more irritable side (compared to others that have a laid back chilled disposition).

When I'm hypo pretty much anything can irritate me ...

So for me, personally, it's my degree of irritability that changes which I can pick up with self reflection quite easily.

[Slowbrains]

How is your car driving? i have 2 lanes going towards home which unite to one soon after traffic lights. normally i queue to right way if there's not trucks or other slow vehicles. Beginning of hypomaina i always take left and try to race whoever is on the right on the way. it gets more agressive as mood developes....

[wildflowerchild25]

When I'm normal I can be happy and confident and excited by life. However I do not have lots of energy or sleep less. So I know it is not hypomania.

When I start to get manic I start staying up later and waking up earlier. And yet not wanting a nap in the middle of the day.

Shoplifting is definitely a risky behavior I would deem hypomanic, but there are other factors as well.

[DysphoricManicMom]

Im definitely more of the extreme irritability type, everything is irritating like heightened senses overstimualtion and I act like a child and throw temper tantrums when its overwhelming. I get restless, overwhelmingly bored, wanna jump out of my skin. Like having restless leg syndrome in your whole body not just a leg, and always racing/intrusive thoughts. But also I have times where I have a flight of ideas, and I want to either work on all kinds of art projects or download a bunch of different music and want to hear it loudly and hear all the sounds fully...as in fully experience the sounds and let the music move through me, and I get goosebumps and have like a music orgasm lol. Or just generally super motivated to do all the thngs around the house I need to do, all in one day.

[CrazyLo]

Originally Posted by DysphoricManicMom

or download a bunch of different music and want to hear it loudly and hear all the sounds fully...as in fully experience the sounds and let the music move through me, and I get goosebumps and have like a music orgasm lol.

Um...yeah. That is EXACTLY what happens to me! Doesn't help that my delusions revolve around music...and demons.

I guess I should better describe what hypomania looks like for me, although it is hard for me to figure out when I'm switching from hypomania to mania.

I get super productive and look forward to working every day, whereas I think most people look forward to working some days and dread working other days. I take on a lot of responsibilities, think I can "do it all." I'm extremely happy and positive about life; I never feel sad. I'm incredibly outgoing and never home because I'm constantly doing things with friends. My sleep is mostly normal when I'm hypomanic, but I do sleep a couple hours less than usual. And, like I said before, I get impulsive with my money and if I don't have money, apparently I will shoplift!

When I'm manic it's all of the above but more extreme, with some added features. I, too, feel like I have restless legs syndrome all over my body. I cannot sit still, am constantly pacing, dancing, fidgeting, etc...I will go on long walks at all hours of the day and night. I am still extremely happy and like to belt out my lungs to songs in my car; I get super annoying to other people because I can't stop moving around and talking super fast and my thoughts that I vocalize don't really flow together. My therapist tells me I act like an 8 year old child. I will become obsessed with my appearance, constantly changing outfits throughout the day and applying make-up. All of my senses are heightened so that I feel like I can HEAR EVERYTHING, and everything looks so sharp and bright and clear, and I feel the slightest touch...like a hair moving on my head, or a mosquito landing on my leg. I will still sleep, just not very much (like someone else said, I'll go to bed late and wake up really early). And it's hard to fall asleep because I feel super excited about the next day to come...like I'm looking forward to everything I can accomplish. But really I don't accomplish much of anything because I start to have high anxiety about all of the things I'm so excited about doing, and become so overwhelmed that I just pace around instead.

[Sesiley]

I get hypersexuality and impulsive. I think about things.i shouldn't. I have productive ideas, but never follow through l. Last summer I was psychotic or having a mania and I started stripping! And stealing from.walmart like I could not get into trouble...I get impulse, but I feel like that's part of my personality, but it can get out if hand...

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