Category: Triggers to Mood Cycling
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Spring is REALLY LOUD
Springtime can trigger seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in both those with depression and bipolar disorder. For those of us with bipolar disorder, SAD can trigger mania and hypomania. The stressors of these changes contributed to my psychiatric hospitalization a decade ago. As spring has approached and the days have lengthened, I have had mild symptoms of hypomania, including insomnia, which I addressed with my…
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Bipolar Disorder and Seasonal Affective Disorder
Outside a cacophony of birds outside loudly pronounce that they have important work to do, nests to build, eggs to lay, offspring to bring into the world. Spring has sprung. The sun is bright. The season of rebirth is here. Hypomania is officially here, as well, folks. Yes, I have concurrent bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder.…
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Ten Year Anniversary of Hospitalization
Ten years ago, two weeks preceding and including Valentine’s Day, I was hospitalized. Twenty years ago, I experienced a psychotic break during the same season: this season – the season of Lent. Though I do not attend church, this season moves me deeply. I could write more about seasonal affective disorder and how those of…
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Fried – Just Fried
Today I went to a writers’ meetup, and now I am just wiped out. Social stimulation exhausts me. I had a great time, but I’m just not up for it. Just not up for two hours of conversation. Damn fucking brain disorder. I HATE bipolar disorder. My brain is FRIED.
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What I’m Working On Now
Last Thursday, I interviewed at NAMI Orange County to participate in two of their programs: NAMI Ending the Silence NAMI Ending the Silence is an in-school presentation about mental health designed for high school students. Students can learn about mental illness directly from family members and individuals living with mental illness themselves. NAMI Provider Education The NAMI…
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Down the Rabbit Hole
So here I am, taking the WordPress Blogging 101: Zero to Hero course and spending my time tweaking my blog’s design, which can take me down the rabbit hole. “down the rabbit hole”, a metaphor for an entry into the unknown, the disorientating or the mentally deranging, from its use in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_hole…
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Holiday Drinking Triggers Me
Originally posted on STIGMAMA.com at Holiday Drinking Triggers Me, by Kitt O’Malley. Holidays I find unsettling. Not only are the days far too short, but visiting family can destabilize me and trigger bipolar symptoms. I acutely feel a genetic predisposition to alcoholism, drinking minimally, but craving intoxication, more so when triggered. The holidays trigger me for…
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Groggylicious
This time of year can be difficult for those of us with mood disorders. The recent time change made what the clock says is the late afternoon now the dark of night. My dogs know it is the night-time. They are not fooled by our clocks. Seasonal affective disorder now kicks in. Our bodies are…
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Excited or Overstimulated?
Volunteer training shadowing a Hearing Advocate last Friday either excited or overstimulated me. There can be a fine line between the two. Since then I’ve had trouble slowing down and turning off, and found myself glued to laptop, tablet, or iPhone until past my bedtime. I’ve resorted to taking clonazepam to turn off my brain and fall asleep.…