How can you tell when you are going to have an episode?

Well, I am on medication now, so dealing with the illness has gotten a lot easier. I can tell when I am manicky because I talk a lot. I talk really fast and I won't shut up. I also always have to be doing something, whether it be going out, cleaning, just keeping busy. I can tell when I am going to get depressed when a big change comes about. I cannot handle change and I get real depressed. But like I said, my monthly therapy, and my wonderful medications really help me out in dealing with bipolar. It is a very tough illness that is almost impossible without medication I think. I am mixed bipolar, so I have one of the worse types. You need to try and figure out what is the root of the stress and fix it. When you feel yourself getting stressed, take a deep breathe and just tell yourself to stop. That is all it takes for me. It used to be hard to find what made me tick, but now that I have, I can always stop it. Good luck to you.

I'd like to know when my lows are going to come on. The last 2 days have been awful. I try not to talk to anyone because I might snap their head off - and I never ever do that to anyone! It's completely irrational, I know it, but don't know how to fix it. People who say, snap out of it, are too simplistic.

Hi theponch's wife? I use to keep a journal. At the end of the day I would write every thought I had that day. At the end of the day I would write in the journal again. Comparing the notes from the morning and evening made me start to see patterns. At one point, I was so manic that I was on 5 different medications. I was told I would be on medication and therapy for the rest of my life. I decided that wasn't going to be my way of life. I was better than that. I had more to give than that. When I began to notice my manic patterns and what triggered them, I realized (for me) it was a simple choice. I decided I could beat this thing and was not going to let it control me. I threw away the pills and made a real choice to make my life "my own". By that I mean, when I wake up in the morning I tell myself, " I choose to have a good day and not let anything bring me down". When I noticed myself really getting 'high' I would go with the high, but realized it was setting me up for a fall. I controlled my 'high' a bit by telling myself I was on a high and needed to watch out for the 'low' that inevitably would follow. If I found that I couldn't pull out of a 'low' I would begin to tell myself I was a good person, that I have value, and am worth something. It took me a while, but one day as I was taking a walk (to keep a low from taking over), I realized how I felt. For no reason at all, I realized I was healthy, happy and could look at the world in a completely different way. It was as though I woke up from a deep, dark sleep. I haven't had to take medication since then, and have learned I still have highs and lows. They are mostly highs now. I still have lows, but I've learned how to deal with them. When I notice them I go out into the yard and dig in the flower beds, or I go for a walk, or I call someone just to chat. Writing helped me too. I've written two books and continue to express my feelings through my work. I'm not saying it's easy or will work for everybody. It worked for me. It had a lot to do with what I thought of myself at the time too. Now, it takes a lot to take me into a low. If I end up going there, I let it run its course. It's usually over in a short time.

Ask your husband to tell you what signs he picks up on. Then look for these in yourself, then you will be closer to finding the root of your stress. If your husband can help identify triggers that would be great. I know when I get into a manic episode, I start to cook a lot of food and goodies. And I sleep a lot better. It is good that talking helps you and that your husband can see the telltale signs. To deal with my episodes, I try to back track and find the trigger, and in the future avoid that trigger, or try to find a different way to deal with the trigger