What Triggers Your Episodes?

Do you notice that any particular stressors have led to some really nasty episodes?? Like a big life change? Obviously changes in sleep patterns and general health-related stuff can trigger, but just wondering what has triggered you when it comes to manic and depressive episodes. One thing I noticed: I am starting to think that I have special powers.

Although usually the episodes come out of nowhere for me, change is a struggle for me. How do you react to life changes? How does it interfere with your episodes?

Change and loss of control almost always triggers me into depression.

I also in the past noticed that I would start binge drinking while hypomanic, going to the bars 5 or 6 nights of the week (making insanely dangerous decisions) which would eventually inevitably lead to me swinging into a crippling depression.

The worst depressive episode I've had recently was because of too much change. Recently graduated college, moved to a new city, trying to find a job etc. I eventually landed in the hospital and now I have moved in with my parents. So yeah basically I don't do well with change at all.

Money problems are the number one trigger for me. I manage very well on my fixed income, but the minute a new expense comes up or I can't afford a bill, I tend to lose my ****.

Many many different things trigger my episodes. Stressful life situations (stress at work, death in family, anxiety-provoking obligations, wrong thing said that upsets me, fight with someone, having too many things to handle, holidays/family relations, sickness, vacations, and more), medication changes, sleep issues, change in seasons, too much alcohol, eating poorly, excessive exercise, pleasurable excitements that rile me up too much, a particularly bad menstrual period, loneliness, others?, mystery causes.

Stress of all types. I am starting to feel better yet am thrown easily by stressors.


WC

Out of nowheres, but also some that have situational triggers. Generally heavy duty prolonged stress. I'll be strong...strong...strong.. then suddenly WHAM! a mess. The façade is GONE. Took me awhile to figure this one out, because sometimes it is so delayed. Generally, the heavy duty stressor will involve something where I've lost or very nearly lost control of my life. Or be TOTALLY at a loss of how to deal.

Hear you on the $, BipolaRNurse. I freak the f*** out because we have been destitute for so long now that any stupid thing could literally throw us into homelessness. So many constraints, it is riding a knife's edge. And the entities these monetary disasters could come from don't give a rat's azz. It makes me FURIOUS. And also terrified.

A big cross country move that I didn't want to make contributed to the worst (mixed) episode of my life (shudder). I didn't think it would. WAY too much change and not one single bit of it good. Overwhelmed tsunami-style. My psych was right to have been worried.

The everyday, passing stuff can really get to me, but rarely result in an actual episode. More like upset, furious, ruminating etc. It might affect me more than the average bear, but I wouldn't call it a proper episode. I can think of some that precipitated crises, but they were pretty major things.

(Lol, reading this over, I sound more stable than I actually am. It's often just not obvious, plus I try not to over-analyze to define my headspace. Gets me in trouble sometimes, but saves me from some crazymaking too. Sometimes emotion is just emotion.)

Not having some alone time. I need a break pretty much everyday or I lose my sshit.

Lack of sleep and money and this situational crap.

For depression: Fall/Winter, gender dysphoria, and failures among other things.

For mania: Not too sure on this one, but med changes have certainly done it for me. Sometimes big events like traveling on my own do it too.

-inconsistent sleep
-too much big stress
-time around certain relatives
-financial woes
-NO CLUE

When people have said the words triggered I usually get a bit confused because I have normal reactions of sadness or happiness after a big event but my episodes don't immediately happen afterward. Usually, a build up of stressors eventually causes me to slowly dip into depression and from there I go upward eventually. Maybe that's only because medication helps delay it, not sure on that. I know before medication my emotions were quite wild and it was hard to map them all. That's actually a challenging, much debated issue in the psychological profession from what I've heard.

Not sleeping/irregular sleeping patterns can lift my mood in a very short time. If I start getting sleep soon enough, it may go back to normal - but not always.
Stress about money or studies can cause swings both up and down.

Usually when I'm having a good episode, it ends up with me drinking several days in a row, or very much at once. The alcohol throws me straight into depression. Also when I lived at home, my parent's problems were a huge trigger.

But yeah, not sleeping is one of the biggest triggers. Sometimes I have stayed up nights intentionally, just to get out of depression.

EDIT // I forgot to mention that Christmas mostly makes me depressed, and holidays in another city tend to make me very hyped; leading into huge excitement, hyperactivity, restlessness, shopping & spending money and not sleeping.