Friday, October 14, 2011

Can energy be saved? (personal "zest" energy)

I'm not talking about energy as in petrol, electricity etc. but the energy that powers us people in our waking hours.

I've written many times about how the main effect BiPolar has on my daily life is that when I'm Up I've got boundless energy and when I'm Down I've got very little.

Up until now I've always been of the opinion that "Make hay whilst the sun shines!" In other words - on the days when you've got boundless energy USE it - get as much done as possible, so that you're not behind when you hit the bad days and can't do a damn thing. I suppose you could nutshell it as a "USE IT, OR LOSE IT" personal energy policy.

But lately I've been thinking - will I really lose it if I don't use it? Is there a possibity that by NOT rushing around and going into overdrive on Up days, I could maybe conserve some energy for the down days? Like maybe there's some kind of Energy Reservoir?

I don't have any answers yet and would LOVE & APPRECIATE FEEDBACK, and maybe we could carry on with the conversation... 

6 comments:

  1. I know I should avoid "crash and burn" during the UP days... and I try not to let my self go too badly during the DOWN days...but somehow I end up doing exactly that.

    The good thing about picking up the same old projects every time is, it gets easier to slip back into the routine, eventually.

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  2. I have been on the UP for the past 2 weeks. Manifests itself in a 4 hours sleep a night and endless words. It does give me energy for my job which I did not have before for the previous 2 months but I feel that coincides with the pressure being placed on me to deliver to previous non-existent deadlines.

    It still frightens me as tomorrow is the day I first lost my mind 16 years ago. Stuck in London Underground completely lost in my own thoughts not clear on where I was going or what I was doing.

    I treat the energy as an imposter, something to stop, not ride it!

    The true energy I want is feeling you have after a hard run, squash , cycle. Your mind is clear, your work is clear your output is excellent.

    When the energy levels are to high you can't focus, concentrate or find lives rhythm. If you have come off the back of a period of depression this energy is just the other side of the coin. Don't believe in it, I don't want it, I want to get back to an even keel as soon as possible.

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  3. I couldn't say. I tend to do just as you do on the few times that I am manic. They are few and far between anymore. I couldn't imagine being able to save energy but then again I never thought about it

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  4. I like your idea of "use it or lose it"...There's no way to bottle it up for later, so might as well make the most of it while you have it.
    I'm on medications now that stop me from having extreme highs or lows, but i still get those days where i feel like doing nothing and then theres those days when i feel like doing everything. I just take advantage of the feel like doing everything days!

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  5. Been BP since childhood but only recently diagnosed. Still juggling meds and trying to figure out how to stay even, surf those waves.

    These comments really ring true for me. I wonder the same thing. I suppose there's the moderation way of thinking. Use it, but don't go so far as to hit that "overload" and crash. I guess? What do I know - I'm still cycling hard. I think I would like things a little flatter.

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  6. Thanks for all the comments - I appreciate them. It seems that in this issue, as in all other BiPolar issues, the key is...

    ...wait for it...

    BALANCE! Use the energy when you've got it, but don't get carried away with it and don't burn out.

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