If you have bipolar disorder and have done some really off the wall things, it does not really do you any good to dwell on it. Move on and laugh it off. By dwelling on the silly things you did and what people are going to think of you, is wasting time. Move on.
Sometimes they can be things that you are really shameful about, but if you take the right approach to it, then it will be a healthier decision.
I have done some really crazy things while I was manic. Often times it has taken me months if not years to put them in my past. Why do I waste my time dwelling on them?
I have a mental illness. Sometimes, I am going to get manic and I have to accept that. I am accountable for what I do and really do not like using my illness as an excuse. However, I also know that I wouldn’t have done them if I was not in a manic episode. It is an explanation not an excuse.
Today, I had somewhat of a revelation. I am currently feeling like I might be on the pathway to mania. I told my support system including my fiancee. I told him I was flying. I had never used that term as I always had said racing. Well, in my book, flying is worse. Anyway, he asked me if I was flying as that I am manic. I said no, I am flying to Las Vegas, Nevada. He was confused so I said that that is something I might do when I was manic. I thought that made light of things.
Awhile after I have had a manic episode and done things I am not proud of, I dwell on it for a long time. Eventually, I can usually laugh at it. However, wouldn’t be better to just deal with it right away? Face up- I screwed up. Most people don’t even know that I did. They might think I am odd, but you don’t have to have a mental illness to do odd things.
Plus who cares what they think? It is what I think. I have never ended up in jail or lost my job because of something I have done . I may have lost friends, but that is fine and understandable.
So, if you are currently ashamed about something you have done in the past because you were manic, think of a way it could be made into a joke and laugh it off. Move on as it is not healthy to keep thinking about it and dwelling on it.
I did a blog awhile ago entitled “How Do People with Bipolar Disorder Deal with Things They’ve Done While in a Manic Episode?” that you might want to read that pertains to this.
I would love to hear your story. If you would like to see how others have told their story, you can search for “guest post” or “feature story” on my blog. Please send it to bipolarbandit@gmail.com. It can be anonymous.
Bipolar Bandit (Michelle Clark) 
Those things keep me up at night. Like what the eff…and did i apologize for it? But you’re absolutely right, those actions are not an excuse. We own it. I once plastered newspapers over our windows because I thought pur neighbor installed camera in the eyes of her stupid lawn ornaments. I tried poking them with sticks to make them face away from me. Then there was the great scrapbook all of the things and paint the floors incident. Oh and the buy all the things online and when I came to, packages were still coming in the mail and I had no idea what or why I bought them..
I have done so many things that I regret,but I have to try and put them in my past or I would get really depressed. Have you been able to put some of those things in the past? I still have a hard time getting over some things. I understand about not remembering if you apologized or not. I find that hard to do too.
I’ve done some harmful things when manic. It always confused me why. I can somewhat move on now.
Something I can make light of is buying a pink t-shirt saying Princess and a tutu, dressing up, going to Kings Cross and taking the underground. I’m sure the experience released some dopamine at least!
Completely agree with David H, some of the thinks I’ve done while manic have been harmful to me and hurtful to some people I really love and who are very important to me in maintainingeneral my recovery. Those are hard to get passed and find the humor in. However, there are other behaviors that could be the basis for a TV comedy. When I’m manic I get “handy”. I start projects around the house. Of course, I am compeled to work on them simultaniously. I walk through the house room by room working on my projects. Example; I’m installing a new light in the bedroom and realize I need a tool from the garage. While I’m getting the tool, I decide I need to reorganize my workbench. I find something that belongs in the kitchen so I drop the reorganization and go to the kitchen. While there, I start adjusting the cabinet doors. I rarely finish any of the tasks I start before moving on to something else. I can take hours to get back to my original project and have left a half dozen other projects unfinished in my wake. Did I mention I am NOT a talented handy man? After I’very come down I usually have to hire a number of professionals to come in and finish/repair the work I did.
This is a superb piece, Bandit. I’ve never been a fan of sitting around swapping manic stories or one-upping. You have really made me a tough challenge. The problem I face is that the things I did when I was manic were so hurtful to my wife in particular. She has very little sense of humor about it. She makes an occasional joke, but I’m not allowed to make one. As far as moving on, I’ve found that dwelling is problematic as well. I did what I did. I’ve even bragged about it. But the truth is, no one really wants to hearing about it anymore. People just want me to be well.