Describe your Hypomanic experience

Once one becomes educated they realize that normality is an absurd concept. Though one should always be mindful of the ridiculous notion in public--if they desire to keep their hidden pleasures a secret and avoid the annoying envy of others, they shouldn't let it govern their total existence.

Mania, presenting in all of its intensities, is wonderful. It is so overwhelmingly wonderful, that its possessor becomes unwittingly addicted to its gifts. Neurons fire rapidly, thereby increasing the number of thoughts produced to an overflowing level. One becomes an instant grandmaster at speed chess, trumping the speed and precision of dumbfounded opponents.

When coupled with a Narcissistic Personality, which it often is, the individual is instantly infused with the spirit of a god. The world becomes bland, people become undifferentiated, appearing in the possessors mind as objects and not human. The Hypomanic Narcissist has the world in his mind and (to boot) access to all its pleasures with a frightening (to the onlooker) disregard for everything and everyone but him or herself and their insatiable need for stimulation at that time.

Life just isn't the same after one experiences mania. The appetite for stimulation of the experienced almost always increases, even when not immersed in an episode. As a result of this greater than normal need for stimulation, goal directed and dream seeking behaviour naturally increases for normal, everyday sources of pleasure and satisfaction no longer quench the ever increasing hunger of the hypomanic individual.

Though I love hearing myself speak, I would like more at this time to hear, descriptively, your own experiences of hypomania, or full blown mania for that matter.

One... its possessor... one experiences....

Are you speaking of your own experience? or are you just trying to sound like you're pompous and writing a treatise of some sort?

Both

Why haven't you described your experience?

God&GoddessComplex wrote:Both

Why haven't you described your experience?

Can't stay away huh ?

I agree. My hypomania experience was the greatest high in my life. However, I was not able to maintain it and carry out life responsibilities. I always wished science could develop a pill or treatment to keep us in that state forever. I would guess that we use up our pleasure producing chemicals in a short period of time.
Jim S

Per-fect's post made me smile, I write like that sometimes. I like to be dramtic & pompous.
And I agree with what Per-fect said as well ("as well", not too, now that is pompous)

My first real dose of hypomania was extraordinary, I could feel in in my chest, an engine rumbling, joy spread throughout my abdomen & up to my throat. I had been restricing my food intake at the time (I am anorexic\bulimic & was beginning to relapse because I had been in a depressive episode for over a month) & I became so exerhillerated that I decided that "I am beautiful! It's okay! It's all okay! I can eat if I want to! There is nothing wrong with that! I don't need anorexia! I can do it! I don't care if she's thinner than me! We're all beautiful!"
Did that make you gag? My hypomania lasted no where near as long as my depression, but hell it was enough to break me out of that anorexic cycle & thank god for that.

And still on the topic of body image, when I went to look at myself in the bathroom mirror one morning (and I always think I look hideous in the moring for some reason, and in this particular mirror) & thought "Wow. I really am beautiful! I can't believe I ever thought I was fat! Damn I'm hot!"
The most I ever got before was "Yeah I don't look that bad."

I know when I getting manic when I keep repeating "It's okay! It's all going to be okay! It's fine, you're fine! It's all okay!"

I have had spells of like, sedated elation. Where I feel like I just took a Valium (which I never have), softy & quiety elated. Then there's just feeling speedy & uppity without feeling happy per se, but just fun-loving & fidgety. Then there's the combo of these two.

Who knows if anyone will read this on the dusty cyclothymia forum, but hey "it's all okay!"

The last twelve years of my life have been a ride. I'm thirty today and just starting to realize why I've been feeling so different from people around me.
Night time: I had something like a dozen or two of nights with solid 6-8 hours of sleep these past years. Normally I've been lying there, tossing and turning for hours. A few years I had anxiety attacks from it. Today, thanks to insight, CBT and a lot of meditation exercises, I can handle it, and think I'm on the road to better sleep. I still have this bizarre state of mind where I'm not sleeping, more like day dreaming, but losing concept of time, so entire nights can pass like this without me noticing until my alarm "wakes" me up.
Day time: For years (no kidding) I actually thought that keeping busy would help me to get tired for the night. So I allowed my manic behavior to get worse for a long time. I was a top student and could feel really good from time to time. I produced ideas constantly, some were actually really original and good. But my ego had no grey zones: I was a half-god or a cockroach. I actually thought I was the new messiah for a while. Oh man, that sounds funny when I read it, but it's true. Of course, simultaneously I would also think I was a horrible excuse for a man, evil and useless, not worthy of filling up space in this world.

I know I am Manic when I wake up and look in the mirror and sing, "Don't Cha Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like ME!" Then it is all downhill from there! Look out world here I come and I am going to change you! The only really great thing about it is that my house gets cleaned top to bottom with a tooth brush. It is like I have OCD and ADHD all at the same time. it is crazy. oh and I spend lots of money. Funny to say but mostly on cleaning supplies....