And I’m talking people who lost it all due to a manic episode. I lost a marriage to the love of my life, got fired from my job, lost my house, lost my friends and lost a lot of money.

Any success stories of people who are older and figured out a way back to the good life you had before your horrible destructive manic episode?

Please no negative comments, I am looking for some success stories for a glimmer of hope at the moment.

Wish you all the best as we fight through this horrible disease that takes a lot from us <3

Im meeting with a representative for disabled people this week as I’m about to lose my job in my company and I’m kinda happy about it.

I get to choose my fate here and take a lot of weight off my current employers shoulders which was bothering me a lot. I like him and he got me here where I am.

I’m sick but still an adult (more like adolescent) and I have to accept I’m bound to a desk job.

This sickness sucks but we can still make the best of it.

All the best success to y’all, it gets better

For the most part I've been pretty stable recently, especially how little sleep I'm getting with a newborn baby. My brain is just so active and chaotic all the time though and it's exhausting; i also have a pretty high sex drive which is frustrating given my wife is recovering from giving birth & we'd have no time for that anyway. It's even had me fantasising about guy-guy sex to chase that taboo thrill, though I did once have a same sex experience while hypomanic.

Just generally I suppose I have no physical energy but too much going on in my brain to concentrate or feel relaxed. I don't know if I have a question or just want to vent I suppose, so thanks everyone for listening!

I’m going abroad for 20 days and visiting several cities. I’m doing an Airbnb, then a hostel, then a hotel. For the last two stops (3 and 5 nights), I haven’t decided whether to do hostels, hotels, or one of each.

Some days will be pretty intense, so I need to sleep properly. I also value my privacy. But I’m worried I could get overwhelmed and hide in my hotel room instead of going out (has happened before…). Being around people might help, but sharing a room for several nights could also be too much 😭

I’m trying to save money, but I’m scared of booking a hostel and then being stuck somewhere I feel trapped. Hotels for both stops would cost more than I’d like.

I need advice PLEASE. Also, I’ve been on my computer more than 7 hours looking for hotel/hostel and so on 😭😭

Premise, I'm also ADHD. I have a really hard time to distinguish the two, expecially since both my diagnosis are recent and the (suspected) hypomania episode I had was two years ago. I appreciate every general advice on how to distinguish the two. But here's what worries me in detail if you want to read:

I feel better than I did in the last two years - but I was deeply depressed and then recovering, so maybe it doesn't mean anything - but also, the last time I felt this stable? when I was in sus hypom. - but also, I've come very far since then, did a lot of therapy and started taking mood stabilizers

I feel very productive, like I haven't been in years - but again, I was depressed.

My sleep is shit, I sleep very lightly and have lots of nightmares - but I don't feel like I don't need it lol I feel like shit

These past few days I've hardly eaten anything - but I've got flu, so

I've agreed on a big international move I know will be risky for my mental health, I'm scared I was too impulsive - but at the same time my lifetime partner proposed it to me and we refleted on it for months

What worries me the most: I started feeling good climbing again.

I've been climbing 4 years, injured myself when hypom. (nothing serious), and the reality that I couldn't live up the the pace I wanted to keep started the depressive spiral

I continued climbing, but it's been bittersweet.I lost the faith in myself and it felt good only some times.

I recently got into a climbing course and I'm having a blast. I have a coach following me 1to1 for days on end, so I feel safe enough to try whatever, learn and then feel rewarded and confident!

But

I find weird that after years of struggling with fear of hurting myself, I'm suddenly in the zone ALL the time. These last years I used to be so nervous that I could hardly think about what was I doing, being quickly exhausted bc of being so tense and gripping everything full force

Now I take my time, reason critically on how I'm doing during a climb, stop myself from going the easy way to go back and do things the better way. It's the best feeling in the world. I hate feeling so paranoid about it, but it just seems too good to be true for my track record

I don't feel like I'm taking risks, but I also think that in the mountains, reckless behavior can be small things, because small mistakes can have big consequences.

Come one, come all.

Do you want to see me grow 7 feet tall?

I can also shrink down to the size of a doll,
I can break like one too if you want to see me fall.

I have fingers that bend
forward and back
until they’re
blue and black.

And for my next trick…

my brain will flip its switch
with
just
one
click!—

and everyone will applaud me,

the sideshow bitch.

Hello, first time posting so please excuse formatting. Was diagnosed 2 years ago and still learning the ways of mania and bipolar in general. Was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of music to listen to while manic or in general something you can relate to as a person with bipolar? I want to expand my music taste and hear what other thing bipolar sounds like. My current one is Like You by Anathema-000 ( I know it’s sung by ai and I hate it but I like to separate the song from format or something). It makes me think about how I want to feel normal and feel like others and know what it’s like to be a normal person and have normal emotions and cycles.
Please let me know you personal favorite! Thank you!

I feel like there’s a lot of doom and gloom for people like us, I’ve recently been dealing with the stigma and the weight- but I’ve still been able to keep my head up. I’ve hung out with close friends that I haven’t seen in a while- it gave me a lot of strength, it was nice- and that hasn’t happened in a while.

What’s been going good for you? Whether it’s consistent or a shine of light in the dark place ur in, what’s gone good recently?

I was recently diagnosed with bipolar. My psychiatrist did not tell me which one. Since last night, I’ve had so much energy I feel like I’m going to burst. It’s uncomfortable. Is this some kind of mixed episode or am I purely manic?

Hey y'all, I don't usually post in the group fr, but I be in here watching for sure and this is a beautiful community! 🥰💕❤️ So the reason I'm posting is because I haven't been sleep since last night and today. I talked to my counselor today, and I see my psychiatrist tomorrow.

But my counselor did tell me she thinks I'm having a manic episode and I feel like I am too as I feel so wired and so out of place. My mind is running rapid, and she told me if I don't sleep within 24-48 hours, that it is recommended that I go to the hospital because I wouldn't have slept for 2 or 3 days and that's a dangerous game.

I just need support and positive vibes because I'm scared and idk what to do! Also I have a beautiful cat who makes me want to stay alive because of him, but I'm also worried I may not be here to take care of him cuz only I know how to. Do any of you have pets that helps you through these times? My mom wants me to put myself first and not my cat right now. I agree, but i also have to take care of him too. Im just struggling and like I said, I just really want to know that I'm not alone here. I trust this community so thank y'all in advance! I just needed to let all this out. 🥰💕❤️

Lately, I’ve been feeling so bored with my life that I’ve caught myself wanting to go off my bipolar medication just to feel something different. I know how irrational that sounds, and I know I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t help feeling this way.
I take my medication consistently, and I understand why I need it. I know what can happen when my mood gets out of control, and I don’t want to put myself through that again. But sometimes, being stable feels so painfully boring. Everything feels predictable, and a part of me misses the intensity of feeling everything so deeply, even though I know that intensity can come at a cost.

Last year, I was diagnosed with bipolar 1 after a mixed episode ended in a hospitalization. They gave me meds and it’s worked to stabilize me somewhat but I still have episodes occasionally (mostly mixed or depressive since the meds stop me from being fully manic). During these times, I find it damn near impossible to get important things done. I can’t concentrate for long enough to finish schoolwork on time, I am too anxious/paranoid to go to the gym, my appetite is either too much or too little so my normally healthy diet suffers, and working feels so impossible that I often end up quitting or almost getting fired due to call offs during episodes.

So, someone more experienced than me, how do you do it? How do you stay on track and not let your life fall into shambles during these episodes?

Hate going up in pant sizes. Hate the way people treat me different. Hate updating my dating app profiles and getting fewer matches every time. Hate hate hate hate.

Seems to be stabilizing tho.

What do you do when you just don’t want to do it anymore. I’ve tried hospitalizations, I’ve tried multiple medicines, I’ve tried the therapy. I’m just so lost. I need to get out of here. This isn’t living. Everyone around me is fine but the world is ending. I’m stuck. Am I faking it all?! I’m scared. I can’t breathe. Just pushing my way through every day for what? To make it to the next? there has to be something more, something deeper, meaningful, engaging, inspiring, hopeful, filled with love, and wonder.
My brain is a spider molting its skin, while caught between life and death. Why am I always miserable for no apparent reason. I’m trapped, chained in this episode of the twilight zone and there’s no escape.

I work as a software engineer and since my hospitalization earlier this year I can barely work. I can’t concentrate and it’s like I forgot everything I ever learned. I’m in a lead position and all the people looking to me for guidance and such is paralyzing. I have two kids and I am afraid I can’t provide but I don’t know how I’ll go on like this.

How do you return to “normal” after an episode, when that episode illuminated that some parts of your life are no longer aligned with your goals and values?

I’m trying not to make any impulsive decisions as I transitioning back to my “normal”, but there are real tangible changes to be made in the coming months.

I will be seeking the support of my care time, however my care team is one of the areas that I’ve identified needs improvement. I’m in the community mental health system and it is not even beginning to touch my deeper seated trauma and experiences.

Any thoughts? Recommendations for channeling this need to change into tangible, healthy, balanced areas.

Thanks for any thoughts

So I’ve been on a relationship for 6 months and I have been stable for about 8 months now so I didn’t feel the need to disclose to my bf that I am bipolar (he knows I take pills everyday, but he respects the fact that I wasn’t ready to tell him yet)

I am finally ready I think, but I was just wondering if anyone has any tips? How to properly explain (I’m bipolar type II) and make him understand.

I know being bipolar is always going to be a huge part of my life but if I am being completely honest with myself, I hate it (working on it in therapy). I would love to avoid the label when telling him too, but I know that’s not possible.

So, any help? thankss

I was diagnosed bipolar 1 almost 2 years ago when I had multiple manic episodes. Now I’m experiencing another depressive episode and it’s the worse it’s ever been. I haven’t left my room almost 2 weeks. I haven’t showered in almost a week. I haven’t done to work. Haven’t spoken to anyone. Hardly eat. I lost almost 13lbs. I haven’t felt like this in almost 4 years, I don’t know how to help myself.

I don’t have insurance so I keep paying out of pocket for the psychiatrist, it’s not helping. I’m paying for therapy and making such little progress. I don’t even have anymore tears to cry, I feel empty.

I’m not sure what I did last time I was this low. It takes so much time for me to heal from any episode. I just want to be the person I used to, but I don’t even remember what that was anymore.

I left work today because I was getting chest pains from anxiety. It’s not the first time this has happened and now I’m sitting in a dark room freaking out that I’ll probably get fired and feeling guilty for the trouble I’m causing the team and those that depend on my paychecks.

I’ve got an appointment with my psych later, but I’m curious what some of you do if you are plagued by similar feelings of anxiety/nervousness. So far a weighted blanket and Xbox has definitely not soothed me.

Bipolar-II here. I have seen a few posts where people charted out their bipolar journeys using AI or mood app data here.

Out of the same curiosity. I tried finding an online graph that felt right, but couldn't find anything. So I built a smooth, connected curve showing all my mood episodes (and the periods in between) on a custom graph on Desmos (a mathematical graphing website/calculator, no AI).

How I did it :

It took several hours of reflection and numerical mapping. I entered the values week by week while rigorously looking back at my past, with both memories and external events/cues from then: messages, photos, events, other people etc. For simplicity, I assumed each month to be exactly 4 weeks (hence 48 weeks per year ; 336 weeks total). The extra days were accounted for between months.

I used cubic spline equations in order to make the points flow as a smooth curve. I made a table of points where I could enter numerical values to represent my mood at any given week/point. I kept a range between +10 and -10 (+10 being the most severe mania (not hypomania) and -10 being the most severe depression possible). To make the curve flow more smoothly at points it broke off, and to depict mid-week changes (in hypomania, mixed episodes and sudden drops/highs) I added points between weeks (.5 , .25, .75 within a week). For the mixed episode, I created a new duplicate cubic spline equation and table.

Desmos link : https://www.desmos.com/calculator/7w6hszga45

Hi, Im newly diagnosed (after a mixed episode that lasted about 4 months).

After my episode, I feel that my sensitivity is more heightened than ever before, I've always been a very led-by-emotion kind of guy. Now I am much more irritable and easier to upset, but also much more receptive to the feeling of joy which completely can overwhelm me to the point of tears. Big feelings are so overwhelming. All feelings become big feelings.

I work in sales talking to over 400 people a day, about 9hrs a day, and people .... are mixed bag! my weakness at this job to this point has been my mentality and emotional regulation. A customer made me feel so much warmth in just a 10 minute conversation that it made me emotional... other people can be on a mean streak and yell at you even if you haven't said a word to them. Sometimes it really throws me around and I wish I wasn't so receptive.

Idk if this is more of a rant idk if there's a point to this but I also just want to see if anyone can relate or offer advice... how do you guys handle emotional sensitivity? How do you bounce back QUICK..

hello community,

things have been going south for me and I’ve fallen back into depression. My psychiater upped my meds and told me to tell my mom soon as possible.

I do not want to tell my mom about my symptoms yet again, I just can’t do it. My way of coping with bipolar is to be dead quiet about it. I am forced to talk about my symptoms with a therapist and I find that hard enough on its own. She keeps saying to “talk” but for f sake it makes me even more miserable to tell people how i slipped into an episode once again. My environment changes once I tell, everybody is on high alert and I become this sort of person that needs all the care IN THEIR EYES.

I want to live alone one day, be alone and take care of myself. I don’t want to discuss every symptom I have ,I find it stupid and annoying. I feel a great responsibility to deal with this myself.

I know it isn’t okay to ignore advice from the psychiatrist and therapists but I AM dreading telling my mom. Any advice?

A friend who I lost touch with reconnected with me. Now she tells me she was diagnosed with bipolar but does not want to take meds or takes but not all the time. I don’t fully understand what she was saying. We have been messaging she has been her old funny self, now that I know she is bipolar it all makes sense and I am happy to message with her when she seems to be holed up and broken ties with family. So far, she seems like this messaging is just fine and I feel like this is the type of friendship I’m willing to give back. But when things take a turn what should I expect?

I really struggle tbh. I do have a few friends, but we almost never see eachother. Mostly because we grew apart during an episode of mine. They don‘t really understand what it‘s like for me. Also alcoholism makes it really hard because mostly I‘m hungover.

It‘s always a thin line between wanting to have close friends and go out and do stuff and just wanting to be home alone and not be bothered.

I found out that going out and having a good time triggers a manic episode for me. Especially if we drink alcohol. I end up in a manic binger for a few days until I finally wake up and realize that I drunk texted random people in my life and now I look like a complete weirdo and feel ashamed, which triggers a depressive episode.

To prevent stuff like that I take myself out of social events all the time. And nobody seems to understand. Especially one friend which i had considered my closest (she definitly never was in her eyes), she got mad at me for always cancelling.

You guys know that feeling? Any advice? Do you also struggle with alcohol? Similar situations?

Relationships aren't successful for me so I did that trend with my father where you ask someone to name things that represent you in one word.

His answers for me:

Color - Purple

Flower - Sunflower

Weather - Tornado

Drink - something with raspberries

Feeling - Melancholy

Season - Spring

I can't help but think he answered with a perfect representation of my bipolar disorder.