I am going to court tomorrow, and I have been a mess, shaky, anxious, and frustrated at everybody around me. I feel like everything someone says is just irritating and worthless to me. I don’t’ want to around anybody, but I know that is not healthy for me. I have been getting worse all week leading up to this stressful situation. I am worried that I am going to have a full blown depression episode. I cannot concentrate and am having trouble sleeping.
Hi Colby,
Isn’t it amazing what stress can do to our bodies and minds… I would be stressed too. It hits us harder- that’s for sure. It’s amazing that you are aware of your anger and frustration- this means you can keep it from ruining relationships and getting you into trouble. I was majorly irritated yesterday and even yelled at a friend- I felt terrible and then realized that is [ Read More ]
Irritation is a common symptom of bipolar disorder. It’s a dangerous symptom because people do not like to be around someone who is irritated. It’s hard to notice the mood swing as irritation can be a normal part of life- unlike depression and mania. Here are some basic signs of irritation: – People are in your way and you want to push them out of the way. – Stupid things make you mad. You can’t laugh at them or brush them off- you want to DO something about them and complain to someone about them. – Road rage becomes obvious. – You have no patience for what seems like inconsequential babble from others. – You would feel better if you could kick something.
If you have any of these signs, it’s essential to recognize them and see them for what they are: symptoms of bipolar disorder. You can’t act on them. You will lose [ Read More ]
Aggressive irritation is a unfortunate symptom of bipolar disorder. It often comes with a down swing or a mixed episode where you’re manic and depressed at the same time.
We all experience irritation- that’s a normal part of life. Getting cut off on the free way- rude people- crowds- long lines at the supermarket.
Aggressive irritation is much more bipolar disorder related- this irritation has a lot of strength behind it. Instead of getting irritated when we get cut off on the free way- we yell and scream, honk the horn and if particularly bad- actually chase down the person with our car. Oh yes, this happens!
If someone is rude to a person in an aggressive irritated mood swing- they had better watch out- the person with bipolar may say, “What the @$@#$#@ are you looking at! You have a problem with me!” And will then [ Read More ]
It’s a devise used to see if you complain too much and don’t even know it! I used to be a major complainer. It was terrible for all of the people around me- and it wasn’t so great for me either as I was unhappy all of the time. Complaining comes from negativity which is a totally normal symptom of depression. As I’ve written in all of my books, negativity kills relationships- and so does the specific negativity called complaining!
This morning, I woke up in a bad mood. This is rare for me. I usually wake up slightly depressed- in a ‘poor me’ sort of way. This morning I just wanted to punch something. I have two choices when this happens. I can let the anger of this morning turn me into a complainer all day, or I can recognize it and treat it [ Read More ]
Some people are just hard to be around. They are snappy, opinionated, sarcastic, and sometimes mean. I have met them! It’s often a personality trait. This means they were born that way and will probably remain that well unless something or someone pushes them to change.
A personality trait is very different from a bipolar disorder symptom. People always say- “Julie, all of us must have a form of bipolar disorder.” I’m sure I’ve written about this in the blog- but there is a difference. All of us have certainly had bad moods where we are testy when someone even looks at us the wrong way. When a person has a testy personality they tend to be constant in their behavior. If you piss them off, they let you know and you can expect it. [ Read More ]
If you’re outside of the US, you’re certainly missing one of the most contentious and controversial political elections in a very, very long time. I have definitely opinions on it all- which is fine. The problem is that I’m letting my upset really work me into a frenzy. My friends and I talk about it- get mad about it- speculate on it. I was so frustrated yesterday that I almost started crying. That was when I realized that the election is a trigger for me. I know, it sounds crazy! But when someone affects my sleep, that is when I have to back off. If I find myself getting too excited over something, I have to back off. I have learned this-upsetting world events are too stressful for me to jump in and get involved. I called my most political friend and told her I had to stop talking about the situation. I am not [ Read More ]
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