Alison wrote a very brave blog on the 7th of December 2023 about the highs of Bi Polar and Oli in his comment said something I wanted to pick up on.

He said Alison should feel free to enjoy aspects of bi polar.

I took from that something I’ve not thought of before. That we should be allowed to enjoy being high instead of trying to temper it.

I am not bi polar but do experience much of the description of being bi polar. Highs come after a good night’s sleep. I don’t know why this happens. It could be a chemical thing that happens during the night, during my deep sleep or it could be the physical feeling of being rested after many many nights of poor sleep. The energy makes me feel great. Also the contrast between how I normally feel with the rare day following a good night, makes me high.

Actually I think there’s a chemical reaction because before I was depressed, I never felt these highs. It’s only in the last say 20 years since I was diagnosed with depression that I’ve realised that a good night’s sleep can result in a high that bi polar people feel. I would love that feeling for much longer.

Anyway to get back to what I was saying at the beginning about Oli’s comment.

Why should we try to lessen the effect of the highs? Why can we not embrace the good bits of it? 

The feelings we get of self-confidence, increased energy, wanting to conquer the world, anything is possible (within reason) . Obviously, we shouldn’t overspend or drink too much or indulge in disruptive behaviour.

But maybe this high is the real us and once we decide it’s good instead of bad and something to be ashamed of, it’s actually natural behaviour for us and the depression isn’t us, then we can embrace the high and take steps to modify the extremes of behaviour as we would if we were not bi polar( or the many different types of bi polar)

I would love to know what you think.

Julia

A Moodscope member