I have very low mood and energy after being severally manic for a week

[Oz67]

I now have a very low mood, energy, my self-esteem and delusion of grandeur crashed down. I don’t talk that well now, and feel profoundly tired after not sleeping well for a week now.

I want to know how you guys experience Bipolar and related disorders.

 

[Aspychata]

I have noticed that if you aren't on meds or are on ineffective meds, you may only sleep 3 hours a nite for a week. Then you hit that low. But it eventually will taper off as you age. Can you take some thing really intensive like karate or Tai Quando? This will wipe you out.

 

[Fino]

It might help at some point to try to take your mind off the fact that you're bipolar and focus on other aspects of yourself.

 

[Bolletje]

My bipolar is mostly stable these days. I found a combo of meds that works for me, I lead a structured life, try to cope with stress in a healthy way, and that keeps me relatively stable. I haven’t had a major episode in years.

@Oren Franz Have you ever (together with your therapist) made a list of how to recognize when you’re headed for mania or depression, and what actions to take? That’s been a tremendous help to me.

 

[Aspychata]

My bipolar is mostly stable these days. I found a combo of meds that works for me, I lead a structured life, try to cope with stress in a healthy way, and that keeps me relatively stable. I haven’t had a major episode in years.

@Oren Franz Have you ever (together with your therapist) made a list of how to recognize when you’re headed for mania or depression, and what actions to take? That’s been a tremendous help to me.

Thanks for this info. I need to mention this to someone.

 

[Bolletje]

Thanks for this info. I need to mention this to someone.

My therapist called it a traffic light plan, where you describe three different phases, what they look like in you, and what actions you should take. (Doesn’t really work like a traffic light, but the color zones make sense)

So the green light is when things are going good, mentally. You describe how you can tell things are going good and describe what you can do to make sure things are staying that way. This phase mostly consists of self care and helping behaviors.

The orange zone is when things are starting to go in an unwanted direction. You describe how you can recognize that things are starting to get out of balance, and how others can recognize it. Then you describe what you can do to get back into the green zone. And you describe who you could ask for help, what you will ask them, and whether you need to do anything extra (like take extra medication). For me, actions in this zone are all about paying extra attention to self care, putting the zap on self sabotaging behavior and engaging in relaxing hobbies. This is also where I reach out to loved ones for non-judgmental quality time, and I plan a non-emergency consultation with my psych nurse.

The red zone is when things have derailed into a situation you can’t remedy on your own. You again describe how to identify this situation, and steps you need to take in that situation. So for me personally, in this phase I need to call my psychiatrist and start on the crisis plan we’ve come up with before.

 

[Aspychata]

@Bolletje

This is a great schematic because this person refuses meds which is surprising. I deal with his manic side which is fine as long as he keeps the grandiose at a minimum. However the crash and burn stage is bad if he isn't on his own because he tends to get upset. So this may be the orange heading into red if he doesn't recognize and take self care steps.
Now you gave me a game plan to discuss this. Thanks again.

 

[Bolletje]

@Bolletje

This is a great schematic because this person refuses meds which is surprising. I deal with his manic side which is fine as long as he keeps the grandiose at a minimum. However the crash and burn stage is bad if he isn't on his own because he tends to get upset. So this may be the orange heading into red if he doesn't recognize and take self care steps.
Now you gave me a game plan to discuss this. Thanks again.

Ah, that’s a tricky situation. I had a friend with unmedicated bipolar disorder and supporting her took a huge toll on my own mental health. I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor!

 

[ZebraAutismo]

I feel a bit like you at the moment x

 

[Stuttermabolur]

@Bolletje

This is a great schematic because this person refuses meds which is surprising. I deal with his manic side which is fine as long as he keeps the grandiose at a minimum. However the crash and burn stage is bad if he isn't on his own because he tends to get upset. So this may be the orange heading into red if he doesn't recognize and take self care steps.
Now you gave me a game plan to discuss this. Thanks again.

I was also in a relationship with someone with bipolar and it took a huge strain on me mentally. Feel free to send me a message if you want to vent, talk or just need some support. I didn't tell anyone and it was really difficult to deal with (though obviously not as hard as it was for her).

My therapist called it a traffic light plan, where you describe three different phases, what they look like in you, and what actions you should take. (Doesn’t really work like a traffic light, but the color zones make sense)

So the green light is when things are going good, mentally. You describe how you can tell things are going good and describe what you can do to make sure things are staying that way. This phase mostly consists of self care and helping behaviors.

The orange zone is when things are starting to go in an unwanted direction. You describe how you can recognize that things are starting to get out of balance, and how others can recognize it. Then you describe what you can do to get back into the green zone. And you describe who you could ask for help, what you will ask them, and whether you need to do anything extra (like take extra medication). For me, actions in this zone are all about paying extra attention to self care, putting the zap on self sabotaging behavior and engaging in relaxing hobbies. This is also where I reach out to loved ones for non-judgmental quality time, and I plan a non-emergency consultation with my psych nurse.

The red zone is when things have derailed into a situation you can’t remedy on your own. You again describe how to identify this situation, and steps you need to take in that situation. So for me personally, in this phase I need to call my psychiatrist and start on the crisis plan we’ve come up with before.

This sounds like sensible and useful advice. I wish you continuing success in dealing with it. I know it's really difficult and exhausting.

 

[Oz67]

Hey, I hope that everything is alright. I am sorry for the way I behaved for 4 days. I know right from wrong, but can't appreciate the consequences of my actions, because I recently suffered from transient hallucinations and delusions for not sleeping enough. I also started to have personality changes, due to not getting enough sleep, and kind of stopped having empathy and remorse, and started to have irritability, because of that.

I just need help to calm down. I am sorry!

 

[Misery]

Well, what kind of help do you want?

 

[Fino]

I think you should text "Home" to 741741. They can help you calm down.

 

[Thinx]

Sorry you've been through this, perhaps getting more sleep will help? Is that something you can do? Do you have a routine that generally works for sleeping enough?