Fun thread...

Sometimes when we're manic, we get obsessions and start new hobbies that we otherwise may have never started. What are those hobbies for you?

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Me -- fixing electronics. I normally would have never tried fixing electronics because the learning curve is steep, but I tried it one day while manic and I really enjoyed it. (Though in all fairness, I did heavily study electrical engineering in school, so I did know some stuff. But the learning curve was still rather steep.)

Painting. For a bit I was obsessed. Painted the deck, my floor (yes, my floor...although that didn't look right so now it's covered with carpet), and doors. That obsession ended when I ran out of paint.

I don't know that I have ever started new hobbies during mania. I have quit jobs to travel internationally. I also started up old hobbies again (i.e. starting ballroom dance classes, ballet, modern dance). Another thing I've done is to start taking either adult or university classes again. All too often I would quit these things prematurely. Sometimes at home, I would start organization projects or extreme spring cleaning. A couple times I got ultra religious and became very involved with the Roman Catholic church.

I was very project-oriented at work, and created my own, most of the time. That was beneficial to me, for the most part, but would sometimes become overwhelming, so then my behavior became out of control/inappropriate. The last major project I created at my former job was a behemoth, and I did a large portion of the work myself (design, analytical tasks, writing, data input, work with IT.) I really doubt that anyone else could have tackled so much. The problem was that I crashed severely when it was done, and then became unable to do any more of my work. It ultimately disabled me.

[*Beth*]

I'm an artist, so I can't call that something I started while manic. What is frustrating to me is that I've always used color very well, but with the mania gone due to meds my perception of color has decreased. As a result, I don't do as much art work. Definitely still do it, though it's not as rewarding or exciting.

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by BethRags

I'm an artist, so I can't call that something I started while manic. What is frustrating to me is that I've always used color very well, but with the mania gone due to meds my perception of color has decreased. As a result, I don't do as much art work. Definitely still do it, though it's not as rewarding or exciting.

I agree with the the color thing....I see to take such amazing photos and it ow the camera didn’t change lol....the primary difference I saw was color.

[Sometimes psychotic]

I started uke....was never good musically....picked it back up again recently after like four years of dust.

[FluffyDinosaur]

Lots of different things. One thing that happens a lot is I'll develop new academic interests and be convinced that I'll be a leading expert in those topics in no time. I'll buy lots of books, research equipment, and so on. I've easily spent thousands of dollars on books I've never read. Sometimes I go back and actually delve into those topics after a while, sometimes years later, but a lot of times I never do.

I've also started art projects, signed book contracts, signed up for various music lessons for several different instruments at once, all with the idea that I'll easily become a pro. It's especially embarrassing when I later have to go back and cancel all those obligations because I have neither the time nor the energy I thought I was going to have.

I also tend to become overconfident work-wise and take on more projects than I can manage, or e-mail colleagues about half-baked ideas that seem fantastic to me at the time. That can be embarrassing.

Often I'll also crave some sort of adrenaline rush and I'll want to do things like learn skydiving and the like, but a lot of times it turns out to be impossible to start the same day so I tend to take that energy out in different ways, like driving fast. In that same vein I often get lots of energy for sports and I feel like I could run forever.

[bpcyclist]

I am a guitar player and I start buying all kinds of new guitars when I am manic.

[giddykitty]

So, this is what makes me wonder...so, I don't know if this is bipolar or normal, but I had a muse or muses, these people that made me feel high and flying high. They were artistic and inspired me. I was doing painting (or wait, not painting yet but researching painting, signing up for all these groups, buying all these supplies), drawing, photography and writing. the buying of all the supplies was actually for drawing as well as painting. I did use them some, but by the time I bought paintbrushes, I was done. But I had this goal to make a flower calendar by the end of the year, working on one design every month for a year- never finished that. I also wanted to write a novel for Nanowrimo. Never finished. Short stories-never finished. Started to delve into poetry. Thought this would be a fun knew thing since I never really knew much about it...as you can guess, I never saw trough with it. I had lost my muses and had fallen into depression. I've only recently been able to find some joy in photography again, but the rest has gone.

Oh yes, there was knit/crochet and sewing too. Part of what stopped me too though was that my work space had to be turned into a guest bedroom.

Another project was bullet journaling, but that got stopped because doctor wanted me to journal something specific and he didnt need to read through too much text. Kinda getting back into that now though, in a way, or at least beginning to make plans for it (ie, buy a separate notebook)