Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Bipolar Episodes: Weekend versus Weekday, and the need for Routine

My mind is clear again!  Thankfully, it seems that I've gotten through the scatterdness and returned to my normal self. I haven't done anything different, except that I decided to stop drinking caffeinated green tea in the morning. I am very sensitive to caffeine, but have been allowing myself the luxury of one cup of caffeinated green tea in the morning.... In the past, this has been too much during hypomanic times, and, although I doubt this was the sole reason for my mood craziness, it might have been a contributing factor.

We also had a week of bright sunlight here (along with longer daylight), and that may have triggered my mood episode. Or it may have been something else altogether..... It's hard to know why.  And honestly, it's hard to know for sure if it is totally gone, since yesterday was my first 'normal' day and I just woke up today.

But there is a reoccuring theme that I've noticed for awhile, and that is the weekend versus the weekday.  I often have more mood trouble on the weekend.  I think it has to do with the absence of a regular schedule. I'm in the online sales business, and during the week, every day I have to go to mail packages.  Furthermore, more things sell during the week, and when things sell I feel successful and also, sometimes, a bit of adrnaline, especially if it is a large or unexpected sale.  On the weekday, I've developed a pattern.  I do work on the computer in the morning, watch TV and take a walk mid-day, and then go out to mail and sometimes do other errands in the late afternoon. During the weekday, the same TV shows are on, and there are some that I look forward to, so this also adds to the predictability of the week days, versus the weekend.

I think I know how to solve this.  I should set up a routine for my weekends.  Perhaps do something special.  Maybe I should go out on the weekends too, although, I don't really like crowded stores and crowded places, but maybe I should go out anyway.  If it helps fix my mood, then that would be a plus!  I'll be thinking and trying to plan my weekends better :)  

Do you have a difference between weekends/week days?  I know that I've read that some people go out partying or staying up late on the weekends and then that triggers a mood episode for them.

Bright sun picture credited to Kostika.

2 comments:

  1. I hadn't really put it together quite like this before, but I think you're right. In my case, I'm always a little nervous about the weekend, because it is relatively unstructured time, and unstructured time makes me very nervous. I'll keep tabs on this. You have me interested.

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  2. Thanks for your comment. There are also other factors.

    Sometimes people do things on the weekend, but if you don't have the money or the mental stability to participate, then there is that to deal with.

    If you are big into following the stock market, well, it's closed on the weekend. If you like following the news, well, there just aren't all day news shows on the weekend. If you like listening to the radio, many of the daily programs are replaced with advertisements during the weekend.

    Yes, it all is summed up to unstructured time and more unpredictability. I'm sure for every person it is different. If you have a difficult time at work, then the weekend might actually be a positive time for you.

    Mostly I feel strange when I realize that I often don't feel as well on the weekend, because it seems like the rest of the world just can't wait for the weekend to roll around.

    HB

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