How to slow down your brain: Mania
Hello! I just wanted to see if anyone has any life advice of how to deal with rushing thoughts? I'm currently manic and can't get myself to shut up. I am overly productive; I booked doctors appointments, finished essays due weeks out, and even applied for 15 jobs I know I don't want. Now I'm completely exhausted and want to sleep but I can't. My brain is buzzing. It's like I'll just crash if I allow myself to stop doing something. I'm newly diagnosed bipolar I with symptoms now worsening as onset happens at my age. I'm really struggling here to function, hence why I'm up at 2am unable to sleep! Any advice?
@MichaelaRyann Hey there Michaela! I am so sorry to hear that you're struggling right now with this. You seem to have been doing so many things! That list sounds exhausting! While I can't give advice, I hope that you're able to find some time to do some self care, breathing exercises, etc., to make sure you're staying grounded. <3 Mania can be such a difficult thing. <3
@MichaelaRyann
I’m with you on needing some advice with the rushing thoughts only mines are a bit different. My mind will race while I am at work with things that have nothing to do with work! Instead I think of all these personal things or tasks I need to do like, paying my moms taxes, setting up the monitoring system on the kids laptops, drafting a quote for the husband to do some construction work just to name a few. And I will go down the rabbit hole of researching things; studying for my ged, buying an airfryer, getting the iwatch, and just yesterday I was looking to see where to go for Thanksgiving (reno, tahoe, new york, seattle) and what the cost will be. But when I get home I do absolutely nothing, not one of things I was obsessing over at work will I actually start doing at home. And the worst part is that I have all the time in the world at home to do everything.
Take time for self care. Slow down. Have a warm bath, do a relaxing hobby that you enjoy. Take the time to breathe and remember that these racing thoughts WILL stop. Do something you enjoy that can help occupy your brain.
@MichaelaRyann Hey there. Know exactly how you feel. First and foremost you need to sleep. It will get worse if you don't. Adding more meds like Seroquel to at least bring the manic episode down will help considerably but since it's too sedating may be good to quit once you have calmed down.