Stress Center Peer Support

This might feel weird to stay but I get scared at times of feeling good and happy because I've realized that when I'm happy I don't worry, something my mind is used to doing! After getting a screwing for bipolar I'm really scared of feeling happy because sometimes my depression comes back and I'll be happy for a while and feel helpless another. The. The Dr. After trying different medications and not finding the right one she came up with the possibility of bipolar disorder! I've never had the very highs or very lows I'm usually always steady just constantly worried and anxious!

It's scares me to think of any mental illness so sometimes when I am happy and comfortable I'm scared as if I don't have a right to feel that way! So when I realize that Im feeling ok and more in control I get anxious! Does anyone relate? I'll take any advice:)

Yes I do relate. I wasn't diagnosed with bi-polar till I was around 50. My Psychologist told me to watch out for being too happy because the higher I am, the harder I fall. I'd love the happy moods but those depressing ones are something else. Plus I realize or am starting to, when I get real excited, I need to wait. I need to wait maybe 24 hrs. altho that's hard for me. An example would be today. I'm on the internet looking at a house thinking hey,maybe this would be better than the condo we're thinking of. I'm getting more excited and want to drive to go see it. I didn't do it right away thank goodness cuz after a while I thought it over and realized, that's not what I want. If I had gone there without thinking I'd probably be flying hight and then crashing when I had my reality check.

I too tried many medications and nothing seemed to work until I ended up in the hospital. That's when they figured I am bi-polar. I struggle with ADHD. That's really the pits for losing everything (esp.my mind at times lol), not staying focused, being so messy, need I say more? I recently tried something new for that since I haven't tried anything for over 10 yrs. and I just felt sick. I couldn't handle the super dry throat and didn't notice all that much anyhow other than the world seemed brighter, that's what Ritalin did yrs. back. I don't think that's the affect I needed!!

I'm taking Lamictal if you want to ask your Dr. about that. Well I wish you well. Try not to get too anxious. If you do, come on here and talk it out or feel free to PM me too.

Barb

yes I can relate to the feeling anxious over being happy. It's as if the feelings are so foreign, due to being anxious and worried 24-7. I realized this half way through the program over a year ago. Whenever I started getting the 'resistance to happiness syndrome' (as I call it) I started repeating to myself "It's ok to feel good, it's ok to be happy." It's as if I had to give myself permission to feel good! Which I did- and it worked.

I've allready had the screeinung for bibolar diorder by my therapist and I've never really had the very highs and lows, she said that it's similar but I relate totally to depression and anxiety! I just got mad and sad when my Dr. said that maybe that was my only hope! I was so scared she wanted me to stop analyzing everything but how!?? If I knew then I would b here right now! I've tried, my mind just keeps going and going!

Thank u for all ur responses now I feel like I'm not the only one that feels anxious when they realize their happy.I should have a right to happiness but my mind is so used to sadness and worry it thinks something is wrong when it's happy!

Just wanted to let you know I struggle with the same thing. I have been doing well for about 7 months now. Few small bouts of anxiety but for the most part doing pretty good. Anyway, to this day there is not a day that I wake up waiting for the ball to drop. Waiting to get anxious again or thinking how weird it is to be happy for this long. I think our minds are so programed to worry and analyze everything that we even have to analyze our own happiness! Probably not a whole lot of help but sometimes helps to know your not the only one.

I'm trying really hard to talk nice to myself to get away from the scary thoughts and the negative way of thinking! It's starting to get hard because the weather here in WA is bad, cold and gets dark early so it doesn't make me feel like doing much! I'm scared I really don't want to get worst but I just feel so tired and helpless when I see the weather outside this way I don't know what to do! Do any of u have any advice or techniques on how to get past bad weather and feel good even when it gets dark at 5:00pm? Thank u

How is bi-polar diagnosed?

I'm not 100% sure but you have to be screened for it by ur therapist or Dr. They are the ones who will tell you.

Yup, I feel this way too! I think it's a reaction to wondering when the big anxiety attack is going to happen and how it will ruin the happy feeling. It's probably the brain's defense mechanism or something.

I was diagnosed in January with bipolar. I didn't have super highs that I noticed, but i did go through periods where I felt so great and confident and creative, and then I'd be so low that I wanted to die. The depression was so bad I couldn't function, on top of being completely agoraphobic. I tried numerous antidepressants and they all made me tweak out in constant anxiety attacks, my mind would race so fast i didn't even know what I was thinking. Finally I contacted a psychiatrist rather than a general practitioner and asked if it was a possibility that i could be bipolar. I shared my theory that maybe the antidepressants would bump my mood up but there was nothing to keep it from going into the manic stage. She told me that's exactly what could happen and she put me on Lamictal. Its worked wonders for me, even though at first i was anxious because of some of the possible side effects. Lamictal is used more for people with harder depression in bipolar rather than mania. I've found it such a relief. A few months ago my bf of 2 years and I broke up and I was terrified that my life was gonna crash down. amazingly i found myself stronger and more confident and I was terrified to find that I was actually happy for the first time in about 7 years. I still have minor depression here and there which is reasonable given my situation but I think the meds have kept me from falling down completely. I'm scared of being happy because I'm not used to it. I'm afraid if something alters my happiness, I won't get it bad. I guess my fear is the depression getting me again.