Do you seem to go through mood & energy "cycles"?

[DustingMyselfOff]

I've always tried to analyze and figure out what and why I have a bad day (did I not sleep well? Did I eat the wrong foods? Did someone upset me? Am I physically ill?) The never-ending analysis (that's been going on for decades) is all with the hope that if I find what and why the anxiety days happen, I can prevent them from happening in the future. I know, how naive but I'm the eternal optimist.

Lately I've wondered if perhaps I (and others) just go through cycles where they have a period of a few good, stress-free, pleasant and high energy days, followed by an anxiety-filled, exhausting crash in energy or mood. Not severe enough to be considered manic-depressive, but gentler and less severe ebbs and flows in mood and energy. When I've casually mentioned to my doctor that I can have a run of great days and then, for no reason, it's gone and I crash, she smiles and tells me that we all go through high and low cycles, no one stays the same every day.

Anyone else notice a cycle? Mine seem to be about 3 good days followed by 3 not so good days. I'm going to start tracking it.
Sue

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, this is absolutely me! When I had the breakdown I didn't have this but after the relapse things changed when I went on a med that massively ramped up my anxiety and brought all this OCD out in me when before was never an issue, merely low level traits like anyone can have. I also started having mood swings.

I will have documented all this on here in the past so I might try to find that rather than explain it all again. However I definitely have this issue.

Something I have found that stops the low moods in these swings is high strength Omega 3. I can go without it now but I've been taking it for a couple of years. Before if I stopped taking it I would experience a rebound which only went away as I restarted the stuff.

I've found with much of my anxiety experience that it's a very slow burn of changing the body. The horrendous cycles I used to experience in the first couple of years are long gone. I still have cycles now but they are spaced out and they are seldom more than a blip compared to the past.

Something I found very interesting was a book called Mood Mapping. The author is a doctor who is bipolar and she builds her methods of management around 4 types of mood. Each mood means a different strategy so you pace yourself and don't overdo things, which can bring the depression on in bipolar, but also how to manage the manic periods. I found this really interesting and relevant to us as we seem to have these swings from motivated to demotivated, running around cleaning the house top to toe then another week we can't bothered to even hoover.

And yes, I went down the route of questioning whether I was bipolar too because of these swings. They weren't enough to warrant what we know to be bipolar but there are lower level conditions that less harsh swings and these are harder to diagnose. In the end I traced my situation back to starting a med and with the aid of Omega 3 have greatly improved it.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Thank you for sharing that! I will definitely look up the book, and info about Omega 3!
Sue

[ankietyjoe]

Absolutely, even now I don't suffer anxiety any more.

What you feel today is often a result of what happened last week, or even last month.

The way to look at anxiety is like the tides of the ocean (I know, flowery right....). When a tide comes in, waves can still come in and out. When a tide is going out, waves still come in and out. That's the same with anxiety/stress etc. Even though you're recovering, you can still have good and bad days. This is where the mindfulness can help as it allows you to step back a bit and just be ok with the ups and downs. It's the trend that's important, not the single data point (you must have dealt with this metric in corporation land).

I think it's important to understand what's going on without necessarily over analysing it too much. When you do that, you're just creating a problem that might not really be there. It's just part of how things are right now.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Thanks, Joe.... that kinda helps, and I trust and agree with what you say. BUT, none of that will really help when these attacks seem to hit out of the blue and almost take me down without warning. This is the type of thing that fuels my fear of ever making plans to go anywhere or socialize with anyone... not knowing if one of these will hit while I'm out. If I'm home when it hits, fine, I'll accept it, give in to it, hit the couch, and let it pass. But if I'm out and about trying to live life and I have to keep excusing myself to go meditate in the ladies room stall, it gets very upsetting. Or, maybe I should take the knowledge and explanation you provided and just agree to be OK with taking a tranquilizer the next time this happens while I'm out with others. Knowing that I can do something to get me through the rest of the event might cause me to fear them less and not react as strongly when they do happen?

If I were aware that my anxiety "waves" were starting to ramp up and calm them before they peaked, that would be great, but I had no idea anything was going wrong until it almost knocked me down (literally almost off my chair between the dizzy spell and the extreme fatigue).
Sue

[ankietyjoe]

It is part of the process.

Personally I would avoid taking a pill to tranq you into submission if you don't absolutely have to. There's a lot of value in facing the symptoms in a situation you don't want to face them in. This is something I had to force myself to do for a long time to re-learn normality.

Instead of excusing yourself, confide in one or two select friends that this is what you're experiencing. It takes such a load off knowing that you know that they know etc etc. This comes back to the mantra of already having proven yourself, now it's time to nurture yourself. Exposing yourself to a full force wave of panic and riding it out is about as strong as a person can be in a 'normal' situation. Maybe look at it that way? And yes, using that experience with self talk later, proving to yourself that you can face it without serious consequence (the only consequence is unpleasant sensations) really is the CBT method of unlearning anxiety.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Makes sense, Joe, and I think being prepared that this might happen again in the future and being mentally prepared for the possibility is key. Since I used to love going to the casino, getting hit with negative stuff while there throws me for a loop.
Sue

[ankietyjoe]

Think about it. A casino is an intense session of risk/reward. It's a situation that's highly likely to cause anxiety. Even under normal circumstances people experience rushes of adrenaline in a casino. Your CNS might not be ready for that particular pastime just yet. Or at least, keep the bets low ;)

[DustingMyselfOff]

Think about it. A casino is an intense session of risk/reward. It's a situation that's highly likely to cause anxiety. Even under normal circumstances people experience rushes of adrenaline in a casino. Your CNS might not be ready for that particular pastime just yet. Or at least, keep the bets low ;)

But here's the thing, Joe: I have loved the casino for over 25 years! I used to go every Friday night, and then when I slowed that down, it was my 4-5 times a year all day vacation. It was my "Disneyland" and I would check my troubles at the door and not pick them up again until I left. I would even book a hotel for a night or two and stay there for 3 straight days as my stress-reliever and getaway. I needed and loved the rollercoaster, the highs, the lows, the adrenaline and excitement. I was energized by it.

Once I stopped working, I found I wanted and needed to go less and less. And now, when I do go (because there is a concert my husband wants to see) I'm not enjoying it as much and these negative physical feelings are occurring. So I guess when I was in constant high-wired mode, the casino was a nice change for me, but perhaps now that I'm learning to slow down and relax in life, the contrast is shocking my system?
Sue

[ankietyjoe]

And I used to love drinking coffee by the gallon, sniffing coke and staying up all night.

When you were working, I think you were riding a long wave of adrenaline and ego (I don't mean ego in a negative sense).

I've mentioned it before, but anxiety is often like falling off a cliff. It's not a slow drop down, it tends to happen hard and fast. To the point that within a week or two, your CNS can't cope with things it could even relatively recently.

I was a hedonistic dickhead for 20 years. I took drugs, stayed out late all the time, I used to own powerful motorbikes and ride them too fast etc etc blah blah. I can't even drink a beer now. My body doesn't like it, it literally exhausts me and causes significant drops in mood the next day. It's just something I accepted and moved on. There's so much more out there that you can do that doesn't involve the things you used to live for. It did take me a little while to let the old life go though, it's just a transition period you're in now.

The thing about living for the buzz, is that the cost is something called adrenal fatigue. It's probably worth looking at a couple of videos on Youtube about it. The casino was just a buzz away from the buzz. You're unwinding in one way, but winding up in another.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Oh phooey! So I suppose next you're going to tell me to stop staying up late, using drugs, and riding on Harley's?!?!?! Shoot me now, why don't you! :scared15:

Yes, I was living on adrenaline, and I know all about adrenal fatigue. Still not sure if it's truly a medical condition or not, depends on which of my caretakers you ask. I was and still pretty much am convinced that if I'm not suffering with it now, I have in the past. I've mentioned it to my GP and of course she "poo pooed" it but begrudgingly tested me for cortisol levels. I know that's not an accurate diagnosis but it's the best I could get out of her, and of course, it came back in the normal range. Then I saw a Nutritionist and "Nutritional Response Therapist" who did all kinds of funky tests on me and declared that I absolutely was suffering from a severe case of adrenal fatigue. Of course, I don't know for sure if he was legit or was just trying to sell me supplements.

I just ordered some Omega 3 to start taking. Figure it can't hurt and might help? I don't ever eat fish, so my body could probably use some.

So, Dickhead, thank you for the insightful responses. But.... not even ONE beer!?!?!? :ohmy:
Sue

[ankietyjoe]

I might have the odd single bottled beer with food, 330ml bottle (I don't know how much that is in FreedomUnits™).

But it has to be relatively low alcohol. And I don't really miss it at all.

The reason adrenal fatigue is ignored by the medical profession (as far as I understand it) is that any test that can be performed is merely a snapshot. What presents as symptoms really needs to be tested continually so that the changes in hormone levels can be seen, minute by minute. That's not practical, and as the treatment is holistic, it's difficult to monetise a treatment. Hundreds of thousands of anecdotal sufferers are unlikely to be wrong though.

I take Omega 3's as well. It's most often the case that you might be consuming too much Omega 6 from your current diet, unless you're particularly picky about eating only organic and/or grass fed meats.

[Carnation]

As usual, I agree with AJ. :D
I too have had to change my lifestyle and my initial breakdown was due to adrenal fatigue.
I'd basically burned myself out, so anything that pumps my adrenalin affects me.
But instead of waiting to crash, I take the rests and tlc before it happens. That way I can plan to do things and still stay in control. :winks:

[ankietyjoe]

As usual, I agree with AJ. :D
I too have had to change my lifestyle and my initial breakdown was due to adrenal fatigue.
I'd basically burned myself out, so anything that pumps my adrenalin affects me.
But instead of waiting to crash, I take the rests and tlc before it happens. That way I can plan to do things and still stay in control. :winks:

Something else I learned further down the line was to recognise a trigger and not OVER react to it. What used to happen was I would get an adrenal spike from something minor, and then my reaction would create a cascade of adrenal spikes etc etc. My adrenal reactions still aren't perfect (probably 75% improved), but I don't trigger react to them any more. I can deal with a stressful situation, get through it and then accept that I might feel a bit rubbish/fatigued for the rest of the day. By morning it's gone again.

[DustingMyselfOff]

I know that the amount of stress, anxiety and fatigue has been GREATLY reduced since I stopped working so I am definitely heading in the right direction towards healing, and I'm sure that after many decades of running on adrenaline and burning the candle at both ends, recovery is not going to happen overnight. And I think I am more aware of and able to recognize symptoms and triggers now that my life has slowed down so much, so maybe it seems as if I'm having more symptoms but it's only because I've slowed down enough to actually recognize them and acknowledge them.

Thanks to everyone's input and sharing, I'm learning a lot about the process, the damage that's been done, and the steps towards recovery. I'm also learning that acceptance is a huge key to success, so I am going to work on that one more. Not over-reacting to a trigger: that one's going to take some practice but hopefully I won't have TOO many opportunities to practice!
Sue

[gregcool]

I through this exact cycle day in day out..what did i eat at that time what did i drink.how much sleep did i get etc constantly analysing every little thing to see if something has interacted with me that gave me that little spell of goodness .but can never find a link it drives me made although i dont get many good moments let alone days lol but when i do get that feeling of being upbeat i start searching for the answer as to why or what has made me feel happy but no luck and it dsnt last long and my mental health soon returns..

[DustingMyselfOff]

I guess the key, Greg, is not only to stop trying to figure out WHY we feel the way we do, but to stop noticing how we feel every minute of the day. But now that I'm not going to a busy work environment every day I'm finding that second part even harder since I don't have as many distractions. So now when I start to feel a dizzy wave or shakiness or panic, I quickly say to myself "Big deal - so what!" and try to think about something else quickly and not give it the attention it deserves.
Sue