When I get together with my friends who have bipolar disorder, we naturally talk about how rotten this illness is and how meds work but have side effects and the sleep issues are horrible, etc.
But we ALWAYS tell our mania stories. Here are a few great ones: (These are often the behaivors that lead to a diagnosis.)
I was really manic one night and was out drinking (of course) and couldn’t find my lipstick. I went into the bar’s bathroom and outlined my lips with a red Sharpie pen!
I thought I was going to be a model, so I flew to Japan using my college savings and went straight to a modeling agency in the Harajuku section of Tokyo. I got a job that week. I thought I was beautiful and I guess that I had so much confidence that I came across gorgeous on camera!
I left my parnter, got on a train from Seattle to L.A, got a China visa, got on a plane, went to Beijing, asked a taxi driver to take me to a Chinese school. I learned to speak darn good Mandarin Chinese in four weeks. I basically had a photographic memory. (For those of you who have heard me speak, you will know this is a true Julie story!)
Hey, we have to laugh at something! Laughing at our manic behaviors is pretty fun sometimes.
julie
I understand your intent of the blog, and know that Bp individuals should share their how Bp affects them. but I am still upset that you title this “funny” mania stories. all of the behavior described are scary. I have “funny” stories too, but they scared the hell out of my friends and family and led to multi-week hospitalization stays.
Hi Chris,
I completely understand what you mean. There are so many scary things about mania. I can still remember lying in the middle of the road when I was 19. I thought I was invinvible! But I do try to see the funnier side that isn’t as dangerous. I guess it’s because I don’t want to always have negative posts on the blog.
I do appreciate your point of view! Julie
I absolutely disagree with chris. i’m currently undergoing the acceptance process of BP and just how far reaching it’s influence into my life and damage done it has wreaked by not treating it specifically. I’ve been searching for ‘funny bipolar stories’ for a while now because being able to relate to others going through the same thing, and then having that fellowship with humor really makes it easier sometimes
Oh, Julie, I just laughed at your note on my email today regarding summer mania. Yes, I definitely have summer mania. I got home today from tutoring and found at 10 or 12 boxes on my doorstep, courtesy of the US Postal Service and eBay. I don’t know exactly how many there are because I had to hurry fast and hide them before my friend spied them! Each one has some form of Fiesta china inside and I know he’d have a fit if he found out! In April, I found six cups and saucers at Goodwill for 99 cents a piece. It reminded me of my grandmother’s old Fiesta and it brought back such great memories, that when my sister mentioned getting some additional china on eBay, I went there to see if I could round out the retired pieces I found originally.
Apparently, I was successful in my search. Way too successful. I have spent almost $1000 on Fiesta in the past month. That is money from my retirement savings because I’ve been out of work since March from a car accident and have no income right now besides tutoring! Is this any way to spend my money?
ABSOLUTELY! I’m enjoying EVERY piece of china that comes through my doors, too!
See – I’m enjoying my summer mania! And, fortunately I’m feeling better and I actually have job prospects for the fall. Just not sure where (I’ve applied to three local school districts and the parochial schools in our diocese.)
However, I have finally decided that I’ve purchased all the Fiesta that I need right now and a whole bunch that I didn’t. But gosh, I love the colors and I love the sight of them on my table. There is something magical and optimistic eating breakfast from sunshine yellow dishes!
I guess my friend can’t yell too much – I purchased a place setting for him in maroon, and have accent serving pieces in sunflower yellow – the colors of his favorite team the Washington Redskins. Am I a nice friend or what?
🙂
The thing I like to laugh about regarding mania is when I randomly decide around 2 a.m. that I should clean my room. Not just clean, but go through everything rearrange the furniture, throw stuff away (I’m a pack rat, so this is usually a good thing), and move things to completely new spots.
My mom is a neat freak and loves it when I do this, but then I go around for the next month or so complaining that I hate cleaning because I can never find where anything is. Everything is in a “new” spot that I think is a brilliant idea, but the problem with cleaning at 2 a.m. is that I don’t remember where this great new spot is and everything that was “messy” but organized before I knew where it was.
I also have the time that I decided that I was going to start a competition kind of like baton twirling. But I didn’t have any batons, so I decided to make up a “routine” involving pots and pans instead of the baton. I thought I was going to win trophies and I had the best new idea ever!
My manic episode involved me believing that I was secretly a member of the royal family who was destined to take over the monarchy and redistribute all of the wealth to the ‘poor people’. This was while concurrently saving the world from an alien invasion of reptilians. Oh, and I was also the reincarnation of Guinevere (who never actually existed). Not that I’ve got a huge ego or anything………. And I almost forgot how I became obsessed with a man I’d met about 4 times at work and was utterly convinced that we were soulmates, despite the fact we were both married and he’d never shown the slightest bit of interest in me! Not that this stopped me telling the entire world about it and trying to get in touch with him repeatedly…..
That’ll be the last time I’ll be taking legal highs, lol!
I know that some people, especially relatives, find it difficult to come to terms with our behaviour during manic episodes but it only causes us more pain and self loathing to be reminded of the hurt or worry we caused unintentionally – trust me, if your bipolar friends or relatives are capable of rational thought after their experience, the trauma they will experience in constantly reliving their experience will be nothing short of torture (albeit self inflicted). As mortifying as the whole experience is there are worse things in the world that have happened and to my mind, it is better to try to see the funny side. While under section, we had the blackest humour imaginable and it did more to get us through the days and weeks than anything else.
Thanks for this, it really helps to know I’m not the only crazy person who deals with my mess using humour 🙂 xxx
Hello Julie
I was happy to see there are others who are able to laugh at the ridiculous things we do, proclaim, and think while manic. I find laughter the best of all meds when im leveling out, and facing the embarrassment of reality.Im not so happy to see no activity since 2011. Seems im a bit late to arrive. Hope you’re still laughing. Take care.
Does anyone else do their most crazy things when they’re drunk? Dancing in tables, doing the work in a bar full of ppl, when you can’t actually do the worm? Having to preservation over one’a self or hurting yourself? Peeing in bushes, dancing on cars? Is this all normal?? And having no memory of it normal? X
@ Sandra