Have you ever wondered why your friend or family member with bipolar is always tired?
Well i can't speak for everyone who has the condition I can only speak for myself but you might find that their reasons are the same or at least similar.
There are a few reasons why those of us with bipolar, and other mental health conditions can always appear to be tired but the most common I would expect is because masking is exhausting!
What do I mean by masking?
Masking it a term sometimes used by those of us with mental health conditions to describe how we mask, or hide, our symptoms in social situations. I for example mask my true self, my feelings and my stims as best I can throughout the day whilst at work and around my children but once I'm alone i usually fall apart. This can be in a variety of ways sometimes i cry, sometimes i get angry, sometimes i get restless, sometimes i get too much energy and bounce around and sometimes i just collapse in exhaustion. Masking it very tiring, it tasks physical and mental effort to try and control our outward actions, spoken words and facial expressions.
Why do we mask?
We usually mask in order to make other people feel more comfortable around us, to not show our true selves as we worry others could not handle us and in some cases masking it important in order to stay employed in certain job roles. We have to ensure that we appear level and 'normal' at all times and not let too much of ourselves shine through.
What do I mean by masking?
Masking it a term sometimes used by those of us with mental health conditions to describe how we mask, or hide, our symptoms in social situations. I for example mask my true self, my feelings and my stims as best I can throughout the day whilst at work and around my children but once I'm alone i usually fall apart. This can be in a variety of ways sometimes i cry, sometimes i get angry, sometimes i get restless, sometimes i get too much energy and bounce around and sometimes i just collapse in exhaustion. Masking it very tiring, it tasks physical and mental effort to try and control our outward actions, spoken words and facial expressions.
Why do we mask?
We usually mask in order to make other people feel more comfortable around us, to not show our true selves as we worry others could not handle us and in some cases masking it important in order to stay employed in certain job roles. We have to ensure that we appear level and 'normal' at all times and not let too much of ourselves shine through.
Masking isn't the only reason though. Life with bipolar is exhausting enough even for those of us who don't need to mask or who can't. Daily life with bipolar is enough to tire us out.
Though it is widely known that depression can cause fatigue is isn't as commonly known how manic / mania episodes too can result in fatigue and extreme exhaustion. The hours and days after a manic episode can be the hardest as our bodies try to recover from the insomnia and restlessness that mania brings.
A really good site to read more about Bipolar and why those of us with it suffer with fatigue can be found here: Healthline
A really good site to read more about Bipolar and why those of us with it suffer with fatigue can be found here: Healthline
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