I once signed up for three credit cards in a single day. When they arrived, I rushed to the mall and spent each balance in under three hours. At the time, every purchase felt like a need with purpose but it was hypomania.

Hypomania can feel seductive. It creates the illusion of power, freedom, and the “best version” of yourself. But if left unchecked, it can escalate into mania or even psychosis.

For me, hypomania often ends in manic-psychosis and hospitalization, with my care team working to bring me back to baseline. The truth is, during hypomania, I feel incredible, too incredible. My inhibitions vanish, boundaries dissolve, and everything moves at warp speed. Yet over time, I’ve learned to spot hypomanic episodes, manage symptoms, and stop them before real damage occurs.

This post shares grounded, compassionate strategies for managing hypomania with bipolar disorder and practical tools drawn from lived experience.

First Comes Awareness: Catching Hypomania Early

One of the most important skills in bipolar disorder management is recognizing hypomania symptoms early. This awareness comes from tracking your mood cycles with journals, sleep logs, or apps. Common cues include racing thoughts, decreased sleep, irritability, impulsivity, and excessive optimism.

For me, hypomania sometimes shows up as extreme fatigue rather than excess energy. My baseline is naturally high-energy, which makes early signs harder to detect. After back-to-back trips to the Caribbean and New York City, I unexpectedly crashed, sleeping for days. What looked like exhaustion was actually hypomania.

Even when you know your bipolar cycle, stress, travel, or disrupted sleep can shift how symptoms appear. That’s why reflection before, during, and after episodes is so valuable. Creating a personal “Red Zone Hypomania List”, a set of your own early warning signs that can help you and your support team recognize patterns and intervene sooner.

Grounding Practices That Gently Slow You Down

When hypomania enters your cycle, you can either ride the wave or learn to calm the waters. I used to let it sweep me away, but I’ve since discovered that grounding can slow the spiral.

Some practices that help me include:

• Sensory grounding: submerging my face in cold water, using weighted blankets, or aromatherapy.
  

• Movement and breath: gentle yoga, box breathing, belly breathing, or guided body scans.
  

• Stillness rituals: light therapy, meditation music, or intentional solitude that often leads to restorative sleep.
  

These tools may not erase hypomania, but they create space for rest and regulation.

Structuring Your Day to Reduce Overstimulation

Hypomania often thrives on overstimulation. Building predictable structure and routines can make a significant difference.

• Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even when you feel energized.

• Schedule downtime during busy events like weddings or conferences.
  

• Limit caffeine, reduce screen time, and avoid noisy environments before bed.
  

Structure, routine, and healthy habits are essential to maintaining emotional stability when managing bipolar disorder.

Knowing When and How to Reach Out

Even with the best coping strategies, there are times you need support. Having a trusted network including family, friends, peers, or professionals can be life-saving.

My father often spots pressured speech before I do. My Grama Judie, who helps manage my finances, notices when I hyper-spend. They give me space to self-correct, but step in if needed, following my crisis plan and communicating with my psychiatrist.

Over the years, I’ve built a bipolar crisis plan with questions my support team feels comfortable asking me, such as:

• “When was the last time you slept?”

• “Have you been taking your medication?”
  

These may sound invasive, but with trust, they become vital tools for early intervention.

Protecting Yourself from Hypomanic Impulses

Impulsivity is one of the most challenging parts of bipolar disorder. Protecting yourself means creating safeguards before hypomania hits.

Some strategies I use:

• Safe spending rules: delay big purchases, freeze access to credit, or hand over cards to someone I trust.

• Pause big decisions: whether about relationships, travel, or quitting a job, I place them on a 72-hour hold.
  

• Create a “pause kit”: grounding tools and notes from my baseline self.
  

• The buddy system: an accountability partner who isn’t afraid to tell me the truth.
  

These systems reduce the damage impulsivity can cause and keep me aligned with my long-term healing.

Final Thoughts: You Are Not the Choices You Make in Hypomania

Hypomanic impulses will come, but they don’t define you. Some are minor, others life-altering, yet none erase your worth. Hypomania is a symptom of bipolar disorder, not your identity.

During episodes, energy, creativity, and passion accelerate. It can feel thrilling, but also unstable. Rather than fearing hypomania, I’ve learned to treat it as a signal, an invitation to slow down, set boundaries, and lean on the practices that protect my wellness.

Guilt and shame have no place here. What matters is building awareness, showing yourself compassion, and learning to navigate the highs with wisdom and care.

To my readers: What helps you recognize when hypomania is approaching? What boundaries keep you grounded when the wave begins to rise?

Last year I took my first solo trip to Guyana in South America post-diagnosis and after twelve months of recovery. Historically, air travel has not been kind to my mental health. I often believed I was well before departure, only to spiral into hypomania that tipped into mania upon arrival, leading to hospitalization for manic-psychosis once I returned home.

It wasn’t until that trip I realized my Bipolar disorder had a predictable travel cycle—one that could be managed with preparation. After speaking with my psychiatrist, I was advised to create a Mental Health Travel Crisis Plan. I had packed every physical item twice for reassurance but hadn’t considered what my mind truly needed.

A week before departure, I began researching and building my plan. Travel can be exhilarating, but it is also emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting. For those living with Bipolar disorder, it can be unpredictable—even dangerous—triggering Mania or depression. I came to understand that knowledge and preparation are essential travel companions.

In this blog, I’ll share how to recognize travel triggers, outline my lived experience with a travel cycle, and guide you in creating a practical, empowering mental health crisis plan.

Why Travel Can Be a Trigger—Even When It’s Excitement You’re Feeling

Travel challenges anyone’s mental health because of the disruption to daily routine, structure, and sleep patterns. For those with Bipolar disorder, the stakes are higher: the excitement of new experiences can destabilize moods and amplify symptoms. Careful planning helps minimize risks while still embracing the joy of exploration.

Common Travel Triggers for Bipolar Disorder

• Sleep Disruption
  Travel anxiety, jet lag, and changing time zones can disrupt circadian rhythms, often worsening bipolar symptoms. Lack of restful sleep is one of the most common triggers of Mania or depression. A travel sleep schedule, naps, and rest rituals can help re-establish balance.
  
  

• Environmental Change
  Leaving the comfort of home means leaving behind familiar routines that support stability. New environments—whether exciting or overwhelming—can destabilize mood. Building in grounding practices like mindfulness, breathing exercises, or journaling helps ease adjustment.
  
  

• Overstimulation
  Bright city lights, bustling airports, or even serene beaches can overwhelm the senses. Overstimulation often leads to loneliness, irritability, or racing thoughts. Pausing to reset—through journaling, walking, or retreating to quiet spaces—can help restore equilibrium.
  
  

Travel often pressures us to “just enjoy” the experience. But it’s vital to honour your mental health needs first. There will always be future opportunities for travel.

Building Your Travel Crisis Plan and Checklist for Bipolar Disorder

A Mental Health Travel Crisis Plan ensures peace of mind and provides clear steps if symptoms escalate. Paired with a Travel Checklist for Bipolar Disorder, it helps you anticipate challenges before they become crises.

What to Include in Your Mental Health Travel Crisis Plan

• Emergency Contact List: Psychiatrist, therapist, close family or friends, and substitute decision-maker.
  
  

• Preferred Safe Spaces: Local hospitals, clinics, or wellness centres at your destination.
  
  

• Medication List: Updated prescriptions, allergies, extra doses, and storage methods. (Consider blister packs for convenience and reassurance.)
  
  

• Coping Tools: Grounding exercises, playlists, affirmations, journaling prompts, or fitness facilities at your accommodation.
  
  

Travel Checklist for Bipolar Disorder

Track symptoms to stay self-aware and intervene early:

• Depressive symptoms: low mood, excessive sleep, anxiety.
  
  

• Hypomanic symptoms: insomnia, impulsivity, racing thoughts.
  
  

• Mania/psychosis symptoms: hallucinations, aggression, delusions.
  
  

This checklist is not meant to alarm, but to help you recognize your bipolar cycle in new environments and respond proactively.

How to Talk Mental Health and Travel: Preparing Others Without Over-explaining

Traveling with Bipolar disorder often means educating companions or hosts. On my trip to Guyana, I explained to relatives the mood shifts, highs, and lows I’d experience. Many dismissed symptoms as “jet lag,” but I knew they were part of my cycle.

Being transparent about your mental health needs—like requesting quiet accommodations or early check-in—empowers you and fosters understanding. Stigma still surrounds mental illness, but avoiding conversations to make others comfortable can leave you unsupported.

By explaining your needs with honesty, you shift the narrative: people with mental illness are capable of managing both their health and their travel itinerary.

Final Thoughts: Travel Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Worthwhile

Travel with bipolar disorder has taught me:

• Restful sleep is essential to mental and emotional stability.
  
  

• Mania often disguises itself as excitement and energy—until it crashes.
  
  

• A crisis plan allows flexibility, grace, and recovery when symptoms emerge.
  
  

Some trips require immediate rest; others allow exploration before fatigue sets in. Either way, I’ve learned to see healing as part of the journey, not a setback.

Travel doesn’t need to be perfect to be worthwhile. Crisis planning isn’t expecting the worst—it’s loving yourself enough to be ready.

Understanding Depression and Anxiety in Women with Bipolar Disorder: Insights and Support

In this blog, we’ll explore how Depression and Anxiety manifest in women with Bipolar disorder, discuss treatment options, and share some strategies that have helped me along the way. If you’re just starting your journey, check out my previous article on How to Start Managing Bipolar Disorder: A Comprehensive Guide.

Understanding Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder marked by extreme highs (Mania) and lows (Depression). There are different types: Bipolar I, where Mania is more severe, and Bipolar II, where depressive episodes tend to dominate. For women, these mood swings can be even more intense due to hormonal changes like menstruation or pregnancy.

I’ve found that recognizing my mood patterns helps me prepare for what's coming. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it gives me a little more control over the chaos. It’s about understanding how my brain works and finding ways to work with it, rather than against it.

The Impact of Depression in Women with Bipolar Disorder

Depression with Bipolar disorder is more than just feeling sad. It’s an all-encompassing weight that drains your energy, your motivation, and sometimes even your will to live. I’ve gone through periods of uncontrollable crying, days spent in bed, and times where I couldn’t even muster the strength to shower.

For me, depressive episodes are often triggered by major life events, like losing a loved one, or even something as simple as seasonal changes. The worst part is the isolation—feeling like no one understands. But once I started reaching out for help, things slowly began to change.

Anxiety Disorders Coexisting with Bipolar Disorder

Anxiety can show up in a variety of ways. I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD) when I was 16 years-old, but my Anxiety started long before that. As a kid, I worried about everything—school, family, money. The racing thoughts were so loud that I would physically shake my head to try to quiet them down. It wasn’t until much later that I realized this was my Anxiety taking control.

My Anxiety often fuels my Depression, and sometimes it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Self-medicating with substances like marijuana was a mistake I made in my 20s, thinking it would help. Instead, it propelled me into my first manic-psychotic episode, leading to my diagnosis of Bipolar I disorder. Learning to manage my Anxiety has been a crucial step in managing my overall mental health.

Treatment Options for Depression and Anxiety in Bipolar Disorder

Medication can be helpful, but it’s not always straightforward. I take anti-anxiety medication as needed, but antidepressants have never worked for me. In fact, they’ve made me feel worse—suicidal even. My psychiatrist says I’m “treatment-resistant” to antidepressants, which happens with some people who have Major Depressive disorder. Finding the right medication cocktail is essential, but it can take time.

Therapy is another critical piece. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has helped me change negative thought patterns, while Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) incorporates mindfulness practices to help manage emotions. Peer support groups have also been a safe space for me to share my struggles and connect with others who understand.

Lifestyle Changes and Coping Strategies

Managing Bipolar disorder isn’t just about medication and therapy—it’s about how you live your life. For me, self-care means prioritizing my physical and mental health. Eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly have become non-negotiable parts of my routine.

Mindfulness has also played a huge role in reducing my anxiety. Breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation help me stay grounded when my mind starts to race. It’s taken time, but I’ve learned that building a strong support network and finding community resources has been life-changing.

Advocacy and Resources

Advocating for myself didn’t come naturally. In the beginning, I was shuffled around in the mental health system, too scared to speak up. I didn’t feel like anyone would listen to the “Bipolar girl.” But once I started educating myself about my condition, I gained the confidence to speak up and demand the care I deserved.

As women, we often struggle to voice our needs. But finding your voice is key to navigating the healthcare system and getting the support you need. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and when you can’t, rely on your support team to advocate for you. There are more resources available today than ever before—spaces where we can move beyond the stigma and have real conversations about mental health.

Final Thoughts

Depression and Anxiety are tough enough on their own, but when combined with Bipolar disorder, they can feel impossible to manage. Understanding the connection between these conditions is the first step in regaining control. With the right treatment plan, lifestyle changes, and support system, you can find balance in your life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with Depression, Anxiety, or Bipolar disorder, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Together, we can foster resilience and create a path toward mental wellness. Let’s keep having conversations that take us beyond the stigma of mental illness. For more insights on managing bipolar disorder, check out my pillar post How to Start Managing Bipolar Disorder: A Comprehensive Guide.

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