About two years ago, I went through a bout of bipolar disorder hypomania.
This was less than a full-blown manic episode – indeed, hypo is defined as ‘under’ or ‘slightly’ – and that nicely sums up how it felt … kind of. I went through a feeling of being on top of the world, coming up with all kinds of writing projects along the way. Some of those projects have seen fruition, while others were somewhat disjointed and, once I exited my hypomanic state, they were unworkable.
This state, while it was some cause for alarm for my family and friends, was a lot more desirable compared to being in a full-blown episode. More often than not, the full-blown episodes I have gone through in the past resulted in a hospital stay. I appreciate the care I have received on the hospital front for those episodes – at Kitchener’s Grand River Hospital and Woodstock Hospital, both in Ontario (my last such stay was 15 years ago). Even though I’m thankful for the care I received, those episodes will hopefully be a thing of my past.
Yes, the full-blown variety of episodes result, ultimately, in a detachment from reality. The hypomanic version keeps me in control, although at an accelerated rate (that’s not to say I want to be hypomanic, to be sure).
The biggest thing I remember about my last bout of hypomania was being the doorman for charitable organization Operation Sharing’s Christmas Day Event of 2018. I greeted everyone with gusto – and then some. It was an invigorating day, to say the least, and I was over the top for it.
Good memories, to be sure. But if I had to do it over again, I’d prefer to be on the straight and narrow route rather than hypomanic.
A couple of years back, I published a list of tips or things to keep an eye on for people with bipolar disorder who want to deal with an episode. I feel this anniversary warrants publishing them again. Here they are:
- Sleep (as much as possible)
- Carry on with meds
- Exercise
- Nutrition
- Don’t get too overworked with other people’s problems
- Don’t go over the top on social media
- Keep lines of communication open with friends and family
- Don’t do pot
- Keep lid on alcohol and coffee
- Drink plenty of water
Eric Schmiedl 