Mania Tips

Self Help for Mania:

Coping with a manic high or hypomanic episode also needs to be managed effectively because it’s more than just been in a feeling of high sprites. It’s important to use some mania self help tips to stop things getting out of control and try to calm yourself down before it turns from sweet to sour.

When manic you may do things you later regret or act out of character doing things you wouldn’t normally attempt or risk.

In a mania attack self control evaporates and you act without thinking mainly because your feelings override your thinking. For these reasons it’s important to have a coping strategy when enduring a manic episode to help stop or reduce the nasty elements and consequences of a manic mood.

Learning to manage your mania won’t stop you being manic but the following bipolar mania tips and techniques can stop you going over the limit and reduce the negative and dangerous impact when mania attacks.

·         Mania feels brilliant at the time but always remember it is a mental health issue and you should treat it as a serious warning. You may feel you have it under control but that’s part of the illusion and trick of mania.

·         Monitor how you feel. Are you beginning to feel “high”, have racing thoughts, unable to sleep or doing impulsive things? Managing bipolar mania episodes starts with recognising and monitoring them before you get silly, foolish and cause destructive damage.

·         Spot the triggers and early warning signals of mania and nip them in the bud before it turns unmanageable. How are you acting and reacting to your environment? Are you getting too talkative, loud, aggressive, unable to sit still, task jumping, excitable, and giddy and finding yourself suddenly overreacting to a situation. You may not notice these signals happening but other people will. Ask them to inform you if your behaviour turns manic and let them try and help bring you down a little.

·         Learn to channel your manic energy constructively and wisely. Keep a close eye on the “buzzing feeling” and avoid your mania taking over and leading to poor decisions and actions. If you feel like a hypomanic episode is building and building you need to calm down, slow down and stop because it could turn to full blown mania.

·         Once you know you are manic you need to relax and avoid any conflict to prevent any incidents, arguments or poor judgement.  Stop shouting, End the conversation and bite your tongue, stop any threatening or aggressive behaviour which may hurt someone and walk away. You can be very frightening, irrational and easily irritated when in a manic state and likely to escalate a situation quickly. The last people you want to hurt and upset are your family and friends, customers at work or random strangers caught up in your mania episode. Just say “excuse me” and get out of there! All that matters is you and others around you are safe regardless of the situation or events.

·         You are not thinking clearly in a manic attack but to you your thinking and logic are clear and you are doing the right thing. Mania throws your perception and narrows your judgement and vision so you can’t see the long term or big picture and you act on impulse or anger. Therefore never make any purchases or big decisions when in a manic state, they could have a major life changing repercussions. Spending money and borrowing money on credit and loans can soon mount up and money management gets out of depth. I recommend no high cost purchases are made at all while manic. Wait until your mania subsides before committing to buying or signing up for anything. You’ll probably discover you didn’t need the item later and regret the huge bill or junk stuff you buy in a mania mood. Don’t take much money out with you and leave your bank/credit cards at home or with someone you trust. Tie up your saving accounts so you need to give notice to withdraw cash. This will stop instant access to spending any money you have saved up.

·         Your manners and social etiquette decline when manic.  You’ll may be rude, interrupt and snap at people. The best course of action is to stop talking and shut the hell up. Saying too much when bipolar manic can get you into deep water and big trouble which you may regret later. Take time out and find a quiet, peaceful place where you won’t be disturbed so you can cool off.  Somewhere isolated that won’t over stimulate you or require you to interact with other people. Find an empty room or space, the bedroom, garden, public park, stockroom, empty office or even the bathroom. Isolation and being alone is a sensible tactic under the circumstances. Being alone and separating yourself to a safe hideaway is a bipolar mania tip that saves embarrassment, shame and regret later on. I also recommend staying off social networks and avoid surfing the Internet.

·         Once you are alone you need to spend the next few hours trying to relax and calm down or diverting the excess energy into something positive and productive. Chilling out and defusing your excitement or stress takes practise. First take slow deep breathes, relax your body and muscles to mellow out your mind. Learning relaxing and meditation techniques can also help slow you down. Another useful way to rid yourself of manic energy is to exercise and do some stretching. Exercise and staying active can help redirect the excess energy and reduce the risk of weight gain and developing diabetes which certain treatments for bipolar may cause. You could also pick a project or channel the energy into something creative like writing, drawing, music or other hobby or passion to keep you busy.

·         A healthy diet is important so consider what and many much you are eating and drinking. Avoid coffee, energy drinks, alcohol and other drugs. These aren’t good for you when suffering from a mania episode.

·         You’ll probably not need or want any sleep for many hours and days but please try and maintain a sleep routine. If you can’t sleep then divert your energy to something positive or try exercising. You can also see if you can get some sleeping aids to help you get some rest.

·         Be careful and be safe. Do your best to plan for a manic attack. Have important contacts to hand and keep medication with you at all times just in case. Don’t forget to take your medication and never reduce/increase your dosage without speaking to a medical expert. If your mania is getting out of control and the medication doesn’t seem to be working then visit and consult your doctor.

Managing your manic high states requires a mindful and practical approach. You won’t always be able to pull it off. These mania self help tips can help you plan and prepare before your mania episode develops into a major crisis. The problem is they may not always be followed and work for you. Because of the frantic nature of mania you can’t plan too far ahead only limit the episode and learn to minimise its effects.

Use your mania powers wisely, use them as a chance to get organised and perform any jobs or tasks that need doing. Try not to dwell or think about any aggravating factors that may spark off any aggressive or harmful actions. You are supposed to be relaxing, calming down your mind and taking a step back from the situation.

The main issue with my mania is if it turns aggressive, nasty or causes other negative manic symptoms. Keep repeating these bipolar mania tips throughout your manic episode so you don’t get too over excited or provoked. You won’t always be able to gain full control of an ongoing mental illness but Self Awareness, Self Management and treatments will aid your recovery and maintain a healthy outlook.

Self care for depression and mania can benefit your wellbeing, lifestyle and overall health. By following my mania tips and advice you should be able to put some manic self help support in place before things get out of hand. Having a coping strategy for dealing with your mania and depression will minimise the negative impact on your life.

Self Help for mania and Self Help for Depression plus medical treatment have helped me with the ups and downs but these take practice to help you stop been impulsive and reactive to situations.