Mania tells you that you can do anything, go anywhere, be anyone and that nothing bad will ever happen!
Here is a great story from a reader: This is how she handles her mania. She goes to Walmart with no money- credit cards etc, and then looks at the sales. She tries stuff on, gets stuff for the house and walks around the store as much as she wants. She compares prices and thinks of all the stuff she wants because she is hypomanic. And then, she pushes the cart to the side and walks out the door.
In laughed so hard when I heard this! No, it’s not fair to Walmart- but they will survive. It’s so much better than someone getting manic and buying all of that stuff and then having to return it. So both sides win out- in a twisted way.
It’s true that it’s often the shopping that mania wants you to do- not necessarily the buying. If your mania is mild and you can keep it to acting like you’re shopping and then walking away, that is a great tool.
I am not sure who sent me this story- so if you’re out there, let me know and I’ll give you credit!
Julie
Is this real? It is so amazing to me to learn more about the mania side of this illness. Thank you for sharing this entertaining story, it also shows a glimpse of the serious side that I have never understood. I
Yes Sheri this is very real. It is a great idea to go shopping with no money when hypomanic. I don’t know that I’d want to trust myself in a store with mania however.
Last time I went shopping and was manic I came home with a $45,000 SUV, (among many other things) and had provided the people at the dealership with some great entertainment. It can be very dangerous and destructive. That year we ended up having to remortgage our home to pay off my credit cards and other manic spending. Even though I had my cards taken away, I still had the numbers memorized and could order things etc. Now I have just a low limit card for emergencies, as I do travel, and sometimes need to make purchases…but the money needs to be added to the credit card first, so it’s still like paying with cash.
The worst part for me is when the realization comes that you can’t afford all the stuff you bought and you have to find a way to take it back…and sometimes you can’t. Then I end up resenting the item. I hated my SUV with the expensive payments for about two years. i actually like it now, and next year when the lease is up I am probably going to buy it out and keep it!
Mega shopping can be a serious problem with mania. 15 years ago, my first manic episode reared its ugly head a few months after my brother committed suicide. I spent a wild (and I hate to admit it) very fun summer. After getting fired from my job (this is before the days of Employee Assistance Programs – I needed help!), I went on a cross country roadtrip with my ex-boyfriend’s best friend and I financed it all with a credit card. Luckily that was my only episode of shopping mania. I chuck it up to be so dang frugal, otherwise I’d be in ALOT of trouble! I still make plenty of poor decisions, but luckily overspending isn’t one of them.