Well, now that I’ve landed safely on the other side of 60, it’s time for the winter blues to hit, and they have. The mantle of depression has settled softly on my shoulders like a dusting of snow, and I find myself alternately wistful and sad, and determined not to let it get in theContinue reading “The Winter Blues”
Tag Archives: mood swings
Note To Self…
…Never feel so great that you think you can skip your nighttime meds and not suffer the consequences. Yes, I was “up” last week. Yes, it made me want to try going without meds to see what it would be like. And yes, I was awake all night long and felt like I was going to freak the righteous hellContinue reading “Note To Self…”
Surviving Bipolar
It’s been several months now since my brain last attempted to murder me, and with the passage of time the harsh lines that defined that episode and the resulting hospitalization have blurred somewhat. Now I look back and wonder how I could have even THOUGHT about suicide, let alone planned it…..only the method, and whetherContinue reading “Surviving Bipolar”
Out Of The Blue
I promised you a few posts ago that I’d write one about mood episodes that come out of nowhere, and since I really don’t have a lot to talk about today, here it is. I call them “sneaker waves”—mania or depression that has no identifiable trigger, but which slaps me flat and knocks the wind right out of me.Continue reading “Out Of The Blue”
Trigger-Happy
And now for your edification, here is a discussion about what psychiatry calls “triggers”. For those not in the know, triggers are events, thoughts, emotions etc. that cause or contribute to the development of mood episodes. Sometimes episodes come out of nowhere, and in my experience those are harder to deal with because I don’t knowContinue reading “Trigger-Happy”
September Morn
Well, so much for THIS year. I just flipped the calendar over to September this morning, and if tradition holds, the last four months of the year will seem like four weeks. I don’t know why it goes so fast, but it does, and before we know it, it’ll be New Year’s. Which means winter’s coming.Continue reading “September Morn”
Mixed Up
Things are better today. I took a Vitamin Z, slept like the dead for a full eight hours, and woke up feeling less agitated and nervous. My thoughts are still racing and I have to force myself to focus, but I can string a few together, unlike yesterday when I wrote that last post. I re-read itContinue reading “Mixed Up”
Beware The Ides of March
It’s taken a long time, but I’ve finally come to see the seasonal pattern of my mood swings in its full spectrum. I’ve always gotten depressed in the winter, and in recent years I’ve come to expect that mania will visit at least once during the summer and early fall. And now, thanks to an unusual flash of insight, I justContinue reading “Beware The Ides of March”
Stinkin’ Thinkin’
No, no, no, don’t worry, I haven’t done—nor am I about to do—anything crazy. But I’ve got to admit that I have an interesting thought process going on that’s quite seductive…..even though I know it’s 99% bullshit. Hence I call it “stinkin’ thinkin’”. I continue to be amazed by the way a sleep schedule and some motivation seem to have clearedContinue reading “Stinkin’ Thinkin’”
Mixed Nuts
Boy, am I glad I’m not in a mood episode, because today has been like bipolar on crack! I have been ALL over the map—had a crazy-busy day at work, but I was laughing and amusing my co-workers with my witty repartee well into my ninth hour without a meal break. Later, a patient’s gratefulContinue reading “Mixed Nuts”
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