manic symptoms.

hey jc,
I get what you mean how difficult it can be to distinguish between symptoms and natural personality... no one can ever really pinpoint when one becomes the other. Manic symptoms can feel like we are "on fire" as if we are nailing everything we do but when we look back while in normal state we can identify a lot of oversights in our performance and grandiosity in our thinking. Nothing is wrong with getting a whole lot done in a hypomania, just as long as we know hypomania is not a sustainable state and does harm to our health. We are best to try to put the brakes on it so we don't exhaust ourselves and deplete our system. Slow and steady wins the race and by hosing down our hypermania, we can pace ourselves better in normal state. (Hypermania can also create an equal and opposite depression, fatigue and cognitive confusion in some people but not all - kinda "what goes up must come down" phenomenon). Even though we may feel great in hypermania we can turn people off with our overenthusiasm. We are not in a relaxed place to genuinely relate to other people; to tune into them; because our inner sensations are temporarily intensified. Hypersexuality is another indicator of hypermania. Again, it is generally not very respectful to use a partner for "symptom relief" (unless they are happy to be intimate on that basis of course - that is something very personal for you and your partner to decide what is right for you). Generally though, it is best to manage the symptom so sex is something that comes from genuine natural libido (and genuine affection), not just an urge in the most part related to mental illness. Maybe it might help you to see the states of bipolar just as that - states... they are not just emotions but include physical and cognitive changes as well. States affect our natural routine and put us out of whack. Our life generally runs smoother when we can keep in "normal" state for as long and as much as possible. If is very confusing and difficult for others to not know what side of us they may get at any one time. The normal ups and downs of life and the resulting emotions usually provide enough variation to keep us interesting. We are prone due to our illness to high emotional reactivity, so our task is to stay centred and balanced as possible. Does this help at all?
... and Merry Christmas to you jc :)

Post Edited (Living Well) : 12/10/2013 2:21:10 PM (GMT-7)

enjoy the exploration.. glad I could help somehow :)