Are You Hypomanic?

I know it’s tough to admit you’re hypomanic, which is a mood, which is a symptom of bipolar, because many of us enjoy parts of hypomania and we don’t want it to go away, especially considering some of the alternatives. We just want to believe we’re feeling “good.” Really good. Which would be nice.

Nevertheless, the first step in dealing with bipolar hypomania is realizing that you’re hypomanic. And, of course, there are various degrees of hypomania – the more hypomanic you are the more worried you probably should become. The more hypomanic you are the more you need to focus on dealing with it properly because the chances are greater are there’s a nasty depression waiting for you at the end.

A great source of information is to ask those who care about you if they notice a change in your behavior.

How to Handle Bipolar Hypomania – Self-Talk

So, once you know you’re hypomanic, what’s next?

The first step in dealing with hypomania is self-talk. If you know you are hypomanic then hopefully you can create the presence of mind to not make decisions based on your mood. Yes, I understand you feel like you’re the most brilliant person on Earth but the President probably doesn’t want to hear about it, k?

Self-talk is about your own awareness. Yes, I’m hypomanic, that’s why I’m feeling this way. Yes, I’m hypomanic, that’s why I want to act this way.

If you know that, and you can (probably) repeatedly tell yourself that, then you can start to correct some of the problems that are likely to happen when you’re hypomanic.

Dealing with Bipolar Hypomania

In short, whatever the hypomania wants you to do, do the opposite. That’s not a very fun rule but it is a generally true rule of thumb. Hypomania feeds on itself so the more you give into its behavior the stronger it will get (just like depression).

Self-Awareness and Bipolar Hypomania

Dealing with hypomania is like dealing with any other mood – you need to see the mood, analyze the mood and out think the mood. It’s hard but that’s what self-awareness is about. And self-awareness is what’s going to get you out of the jams that hypomania has a tendency to put you into.

(This is not to suggest you can always do this on your own. Sometimes other people can be your saving grace as they can see your behavior and moods much more clearly than you can. It’s OK to lean on them for their insight too).

How do you like to handle hypomania?