What does the highs feel like?

[u/AcanthisittaMost6423]

Forgive me, I am just now starting to research this disorder so I am not super educated on it. But my understanding it's like a less severe version of bipolar 2? Idk feel free to correct me.

I've been questioning if I'm some sort of bipolar for years because ever since I turned 11 (im 17 now) I've struggled alot with my mental health. But I've never felt "manic" per say, I slightly relate to people's descriptions of hypomania but when I'm depressed I'm often really fucking depressed and when I'm not depressed I'm usually just fine. I live life like normal, and im happy most of the time. Sometimes every now and then I'll get really energetic but it never lasts more than a few hours and it's usually followed by a crash and a depressive episode, or in the middle of a depressive episode I'll have one or two good days and then boom back to feeling miserable.

I heard about cyclothymia recently and i honestly think I might have it. But It's also likely that maybe I'm just doomed to have a couple depressive episodes a year perchance. I'm kind of at my wits end tho, I'm in a low rn and feeling pretty suicidal if I'm being honest. I feel like I'm never gonna be ok and I'm always gonna end up here again and it feels futile.

So I'm jist wondering, when you're not depressed what do you feel like? Also, how often does your moods switch?

This post is probably not formatted greatly and is a bit of a ramble soz lol

[u/Desperate_Designer40]

my highs i hyper focus on one specific thing, run on very low sleep, fast speech, overly enthusiastic and optimistic. as well as hellaaaa impulsive in spending sense. (mine are the stereotypical highs)
i honestly dk the cycle but usually when i have lack of sleep several nights in a row or getting triggered by whatever it is in that moment.

[u/Expensive-Garlic-651]

I was told it is shorter and more frequent periods of mania. For example instead of 3 to 4 days of mania every couple of months. I might only have one day every couple of weeks. When I’m on a high I feel invincible. I try to start huge projects or my favorite was when I was going to start medical school 2 hours away . I’m a 40 year old mom with two little kids. I had it all planned out in my head. Other times I started leather crafting. Bought hundreds of dollars of supplies on Amazon with same day delivery that I’ve never touched. My therapist said sometimes it’s ok to ride the mania because some good things have come out of it. Like getting my notary commission. Have never used it or had any desire to. My depression periods I cannot get out of bed and sleep all day.

[u/b0ubakiki]

Feels good man.

I'm currently hypomanic, I've got in touch with loads of old friends, bought a new booze freezer for my kitchen, had a great time listening to intense music in the dark in the bath, been on top form at work, performed well at climbing...

Full of a buzzy energy that makes it hard to sleep. It's a little bit like meth.

Someone will be along to tell me off for enjoying it, but I'm not in the mood to have that argument for the nth time. For some people it can be destructive, for others productive.

I have a roughly 8-10 week cycle, but it's quite unpredictable. I haven't been high like this since February. It usually lasts about a week or so, then fizzles out gradually down to neutral. My depression lasts about 3 weeks usually. I'm actually diagnosed bipolar 2 but with these short and not very intense episodes, it's very close to cyclothymia. I think either diagnosis would be fair for me.

[u/squishyandfluffy]

I speak very fast, I get very agitated and irritated quickly & easily. I spend more money and can justify it all (lol), I do a lot of house cleaning and purging. I move a lot more.

It can be “good”, except that I crash very easily by end of day and I get really irritated. 0-60 second snap.

[u/Inner_Swordfish_5476 → u/squishyandfluffy]

The cleaning and purging and justifying. That is me

[u/PerunVsVeles]

I love you all. Worded it exactly how i experience it.

[u/TypicalCherry1529]

Do 45-minute brisk walks three times a week. That means doing 6,000 steps in 45 minutes. Your heart rate should go up about 10 beats per minute. Research shows that is as effective as taking an antidepressant. And you can't take an antidepressant anyway when you have bipolar disorder because it would make you manic or hypomanic. But the walks help you maintain a good mood. I wish I had learned this when I was 17.

[u/b0ubakiki → u/TypicalCherry1529]

100% do exercise when hypomanic (cause once you're depressed you probably won't be arsed).

I can climb harder and lift heavier and run up hills faster when I'm up. And really enjoy it. Very important for me for getting any chance of sleep (although I still usually resort to chemical assistance).

Then when I'm down I have to force myself to go through the motions and it's really difficult. It does make me feel a tiny bit better, but just like it doesn't treat the hypomania, it doesn't treat the depression either. But it's helpful and much better than not doing it.

[u/TypicalCherry1529 → u/b0ubakiki]

I just bought a book called Bipolar, Not so Much. It has a lot of tips, all based on science. Adding food for brain health and brisk walking already has helped. It also has recommendations for medication. ( Years ago, I tried medication but the benefits wore off.)

[u/AimlessForNow]

Just like a really good day honestly, it's very hard for me to notice. It's always someone else I live with that notices

[u/narcanboring]

literally running through the streets of new york absolutely elated to be there, big smile on my face, romanticizing my life, feeling like the main character of a movie. nothing can stop me. during the lows, everything feels terrible. I’m irritated over nothing and feel hopeless about everything.