Excitement and collapse (?)

[Els]

Maybe it's classical (I don't know), but I was wondering if other people experience a "crash" after many days/hours of agitation/excitation/animation/pressure? Just having more animated days, more movements, sounds, stimulations, pressure, things to process; whatever stimulates excitement and push on the nerves, even if it's something you like. It can be pleasant or unpleasant, it's really just charging and accumulating in the body, like functioning in open circuit and accumulating too many informations etc and not being able to process everything. I personally don't necessarily notice the excitement until I pay it later. It just feels like it's been a lot to take, even if it was nice, the body starts being like... I don't know how to describe. First there's an even bigger increase in the nervosity - that can lead me to having to physically "take it out", like crying or jumping or whatever. That leaves me totally depressive, "I have no ressources anymore to produce stimulation, nor even a normal one".
I had a few "high" days lately, having to plan new stuffs, being more stimulated by things, being more cheerful and hopeful (instead of my habitual neutral+anxious state; which let me sleep very well through). I didn't sleep well because the excitement didn't go away almost at all and then, bam, I was even more tense and I explode in tears, and then I don't have anything to give, I'm physically depressed in my body because it's like... collapse. I can't handle excitements well, whether it comes from around me or inside me; it's like there's no barrier, or functioning in open circuit (noises, taking the stress of others, etc). And at some point it's just too much for my body's capacities, and yet it's ... not even the half of what other people seem to be able to process.
When I've got my routine, no real changes, not a lot to react to etc, I have anxiety but I sleep well. As soon as I get more busy or things around are more "rich" in stimulations, I pay it. If I've been excited during the day, the nerves stay and even if it was nice I just can't sleep. Even through I'm drained, it's like it's still charged in my brain/body (sport and tiring myself even more don't help, make things definitely worse). And then I just crash.
I forget about it all the time and I'm surprised when it happens.
I don't know if I managed to describe this clearly.

Do other people experience something similar? Do you deal with it? How?

 

[Aspychata]

Bipolar people experience this reguarly. My ex bragged about only needing 3 hours of sleep, but then the crash would come. The up stage is great, they are happy, but the crash is lots of anger, lethargic and or indifference. Hope you can find a answer at this forum. Disclaimer: The highs you talk about are consider manic in relation to bipolar. I am not a medical professional, nor am l claiming to be one. Please do not take this as medical advice either.

 

[Judge]

Formal socialization, whether ending positively or negatively would usually give me a tension headache after the fact. The usual being social occasions related to work.

 

[Els]

Bipolar people experience this reguarly. My ex bragged about only needing 3 hours of sleep, but then the crash would come. The up stage is great, they are happy, but the crash is lots of anger, lethargic and or indifference. Hope you can find a answer at this forum. Disclaimer: The highs you talk about are consider manic in relation to bipolar. I am not a medical professional, nor am l claiming to be one. Please do not take this as medical advice either.

Thanks for your reply
My father is diagnosed with bipolar too and even through there are different forms of the disorder, I'm sure I never had mania. What I'm describing isn't like mania, I never got hyperactive in my life unless I was anxious about an exam and I had to drink tons of coffee lol. When I sleep less because my brain is replaying everything I didn't process through a more exciting day, I'm definitely in my bed totally drained and not active at all; I'm not enjoying anything mania is giving to them lol.
I really don't know how to describe what I'm talking about there, I think it's more like being hyper sensitive (?). But I'm not a pro. I just know that what I feel doesn't make me hyperactive at all compared to others, but it does make me tired compared to them in the end. It takes me long to recover and process stimulis while they can go on fast and be more active. As an image, I'm more like a grandmother getting tired from the excitment of a birthday party - except that I get nervous and depressed afterwards - and needing to recover and a long time to process the event, than an hyperactive bipolar lol. That's more what the picture is like

That being said, what an experience to be near a person with untreated bipolar disorder... my father is okay now with meds, but it's difficult to live with. I'm happy I'm far now, it wasn't a good experience.

 

[Aspychata]

Sure, l think it runs in families. My daughter seems to have some aspects of it. Your descriptions do sound like it but there is a least two types of bipolar. Meds suck for bipolar, that's why my ex hated them. They kill libedio for men, and until the right dose is found, you can end up being lethargic. Anyways, l hope you continue exploring and researching, so that you feel more comfortable!! A lot of marriages end up in divorce with bipolar partners, the anger is so difficult to endure. It took a whole year after divorce before l gave myself permission to be happy.

 

[menander]

Interesting. Have you been tested for biploar? I have the opposite. I am only hyper and never the crash. I guess I'd be bi? Bip? Polar? Is there a dx for only hyper but not ADHD?

 

[Tom]

It might be what is called Unipolar. Mania without depression. It is not well studied however and lumped in with Bipolar mostly these days. I have always had something like that. Roughly monthly it seemed when I monitored it.

 

[unperson]

I can relate, I tend to think it's overstimulation, being around people or crowds makes me overstimulated, so I try to limit exposure - lead a slightly boring life I guess, I function better that way.

Have wondered if I'm a touch bipolar, but can't really relate to technical descriptions of it, or I can't see it in myself, I probably need to see a film/tv portrayal or something.

 

[Progster]

I do experience something like this. I start off on a high, and then by the end of the day I just completely shut down, or I can quickly become agitated, something will trigger me and I will melt down. When I was a kid, I used to get exited around Christmas, and then Boxing day would come but in my family it wasn't "Boxing Day" but "Meltdown" day. In my case I don't think I have bipolar, but I get overstimulated and then either melt down or shut down.

 

[SusanLR]

I agree @unperson with how overstimulation makes me feel.
It can be crowds, being in a group, or even a cheerful feeling from talking with a friend,
excitement, then later in the day it's like my body and nerves just collapse.
Even into the next day I need down time.

I call it overstimulation also.
The way I deal is too try and keep my days and experiences on a more neutral basis if at all possible.
It feels more natural, but, would probably feel dull to most others.
I never feel mania. It's not bipolar. It's like a highly sensitive nervous system.

Oh, my... I can imagine what it would be like to have an intense romantic affair!

 

[Aspychata]

For some reason, l do experience more intense emotions. Then l just kinda of have a brain splat, so l just chill and hang alone. This happens in intense jobs dealing with the public. I noticed l am more careful to where l apply for work now. I can handle crowds of people if they are orderly and don't spend all their time preoccupied with what l am doing.

But stimulation overload will just cause me to exit.

 

[Animal]

I agree with other posters, that it's likely due to overstimulation. When having to be social all day, I'd have to partake in sensory deprivation exercises once at home alone. There were other times when social pressures got so extreme that I'd throw all my belongings in my car and move to another state without knowing anyone there or having procured a job beforehand. I'd go into a social coma for a while and then come out being able to breathe again, relieved that I didn't know anyone in the new place so there wouldn't be any social pressures.

 

[Matthias]

Maybe it's classical (I don't know), but I was wondering if other people experience a "crash" after many days/hours of agitation/excitation/animation/pressure? Just having more animated days, more movements, sounds, stimulations, pressure, things to process; whatever stimulates excitement and push on the nerves, even if it's something you like. It can be pleasant or unpleasant, it's really just charging and accumulating in the body, like functioning in open circuit and accumulating too many informations etc and not being able to process everything. I personally don't necessarily notice the excitement until I pay it later. It just feels like it's been a lot to take, even if it was nice, the body starts being like... I don't know how to describe. First there's an even bigger increase in the nervosity - that can lead me to having to physically "take it out", like crying or jumping or whatever. That leaves me totally depressive, "I have no ressources anymore to produce stimulation, nor even a normal one".
I had a few "high" days lately, having to plan new stuffs, being more stimulated by things, being more cheerful and hopeful (instead of my habitual neutral+anxious state; which let me sleep very well through). I didn't sleep well because the excitement didn't go away almost at all and then, bam, I was even more tense and I explode in tears, and then I don't have anything to give, I'm physically depressed in my body because it's like... collapse. I can't handle excitements well, whether it comes from around me or inside me; it's like there's no barrier, or functioning in open circuit (noises, taking the stress of others, etc). And at some point it's just too much for my body's capacities, and yet it's ... not even the half of what other people seem to be able to process.
When I've got my routine, no real changes, not a lot to react to etc, I have anxiety but I sleep well. As soon as I get more busy or things around are more "rich" in stimulations, I pay it. If I've been excited during the day, the nerves stay and even if it was nice I just can't sleep. Even through I'm drained, it's like it's still charged in my brain/body (sport and tiring myself even more don't help, make things definitely worse). And then I just crash.
I forget about it all the time and I'm surprised when it happens.
I don't know if I managed to describe this clearly.

Do other people experience something similar? Do you deal with it? How?

I'm not exactly sure what you're describing but there's a condition called chronic fatigue syndrome where too much exertion or stimulation can result in post-exertional malaise. Symptoms of ME/CFS | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) | CDC

The main treatments are pacing (not doing too much at a time) and CBT which can also be used for depression and anxiety.