[MtnTime2896]

What does it feel like and how will I know for sure when I'm there?

For me, no one asks, "Are you taking your medicine?" Life seems a bit more boring and I am not as sarcastic and things don't seem as funny. I no longer see any ulterior motives behind the actions of others. Ho hum. I assume that I will never be "there" permanently. Eventually, something is going to come along to change things for better or worse. If not, I'll find my own way to get into trouble in order to relieve the boredom....

I think I'm stable now, so for me, I would describe it as "feeling good".

When I'm hypo or manic, I feel more than just "good". I feel "fantastic" or "great". "Never felt better!" I'm full of energy and excitement. I have all these great ideas and "so many things to do, so little time". I feel speeded up. Everything moves too slowly for me, and I often lose track of time.

In contrast, everything feels like a real drag when I'm depressed. "When will this day be over?" I just want to cry all day and sleep. I'm bombarded with negative thoughts.

When I'm stable, I'm in between: no extreme excitement or giddiness, and no feelings of sadness or anger. I feel content. Nothing moves too slowly, and I don't lose track of time. I may have great ideas, but I don't have a ton of them, and the ones I do have are easily attainable. I also get about 9 hrs of sleep a night, not 3-4 or 12-14. Then when something good happens, I don't feel an adrenaline rush, and I don't feel like "sigh, I guess I did okay". I feel happy things went well.

[bioChE]

Stability is a hard thing to determine, especially with meds and looking at your moods under a microscope. I know I'm there when I stop analyzing my mental state for every little change. If I've not thought about moods for a few days, I'm there.

[emgreen]

I'm right there with bluebicycle & BioChE...I'm stable when I don't dwell on having BP disorder, or the fact that I take meds (I take meds for high blood pressure & high cholesterol, too, but don't think about them!). I'm still getting only 3-5 hours sleep a night, but feel good & on even keel during the day. (9 hours sounds like a dream, but if I'm feeling good, I don't moind the extra hours in the day). Another one, & this sounds strange, but when I'm feeling well, I can look at my therapist & pdoc in the eyes. I always avert my glance when feeling depressed & wear a baseball cap to hide my eyes. I've studied the electrical outlet in my therapist's office more than I care to think about.

[still_crazy]

I think in terms of functioning. I can be around people, I can do my school work, I can sleep without a sedative, I don't hear voices near as much, etc. etc. etc.

I don't think stability or "recovery"--the latest buzz word--means a complete lack of problems, it means the ability to deal with life reasonably well, even if that means your life is going to be limited to some extent by your mental problems.

[JustJace2u]

I'd like to know what stability is like.

[Coconutzo]

Originally Posted by bioChE

Stability is a hard thing to determine, especially with meds and looking at your moods under a microscope. I know I'm there when I stop analyzing my mental state for every little change. If I've not thought about moods for a few days, I'm there.

Exactly how I can tell!
I just stop worrying about my mental health. I can actually focus on daily tasks.
I think I'm stable now, which is really exciting for me. I've only had a few stable months in the last few years.

[Ripose]

I have been unstable my entire life except for a few moments last year and it scared the hell out of me. I quickly took some meds to tamp that feeling away.

[bioChE]

Originally Posted by Ripose

I have been unstable my entire life except for a few moments last year and it scared the hell out of me. I quickly took some meds to tamp that feeling away.

Lol. I kind of miss the highs.

[gina_re]

Originally Posted by bioChE

Stability is a hard thing to determine, especially with meds and looking at your moods under a microscope. I know I'm there when I stop analyzing my mental state for every little change. If I've not thought about moods for a few days, I'm there.

I agree with this. But at the same time, that means I haven't been stabile for a couple of years.

[bioChE]

Originally Posted by gina_re

I agree with this. But at the same time, that means I haven't been stabile for a couple of years.

I know this wasn't meant to be funny, but I got a kick out of it.

Sorry to hear you're still chasing stability. By the way, regarding the new job opportunity I'd say go for it! What do you have to lose?