What do you consider one sure sign that your feeling better or worse?
For me… It’s humor. When I wake up and I just don’t think anything is funny and nothing makes me at least smile… I keep an eye on that.
When I’m feeling better, I find more things amuse me and make me laugh. I’ve seen a few others here use their humor as a gauge as well.
some use activity, some use communication as a sign…
What do others use as a sign?
Whenever I’m getting worse, my senses start to get more acute. If things are louder and brighter than they usually are I know that something is up.
I start singing that song -‘Little darlin, it’s been a long cold lonely winter. Little darlin, it seems like years since it’s been clear… Here comes the sun…here comes the sun. And it’s alright’
Little darlin, the smiles returning to the faces…’
When I’m getting worse my sleep habits change. I stay up late at night and sleep during the day. My mom noticed it when I was a teenager after I got sick at 13. When I’m doing better I go out more and talk more. When I’m not doing good I’m very quiet.
Ah, the Beatles. Check out videos of them performing or being interviewed on YouTube. A new release came out about a month a half ago. “Live at the BBC”. I bought it, it’s pretty good. It’s when they were young.
When I’m getting worse I stop sleeping.
Thanks. That song and The Long and Winding Road seem to go together.
Well, I guess you could maybe say those were two of their more “mellower” songs. At least compared to “Get Back” and “Come Together”.
Mellow and artistic -
But then - you’re not going to hear the line “He got toe jam football.” in any other work of art - of that era at least.
It’s been a while, but not shaving or cutting my hair was an indicator of me getting into a bad spell, before I was on meds. Now I am simply fully recovered, but you already know that…
the amount of alcohol I drank was directly proportional to how psychotic I was. Some nights I had a few drinks, some nights I drank a handle. I usually came in somewhere in-between, like a fifth (smaller bottle)
Worse I’d say yeah, lack of humor, means I might be looking or having the perception of a darker mind set. Its been on repeat this terrible little emotion, that says nothing is good. I’m frowning when I should be smiling. There is no, how to get happy. Happiness can be the most elusive emotion. I mean my emotions went out the window when I continued abuse of street drugs. God struck me down, but he brought me back more wise. One sign of feeling better is how sane u think. Can u feel the medication assisting your thought process. Or do you feel the symptoms from lack or decrease of medicine?
I am more focused on my meds. When I skip them, I’d feel scattered, unfocused, and I get very panicky. Then the paranoia starts kicking and nothing is funny… it’s all life or death.
My voices get louder and I get lost in my head and I can’t get out. My meds help a lot.
But even so, I’ve been working towards lower doses with my doc and I still find stuff funny, I’m still patient, I still feel like I can get out the door and it will all be OK.
I don’t believe in low doses. First your not getting a therapeutic amount of acting medication. Lower doses usually put you in a state where symptom management could be better. Of course we want lower dose because the lower side effect profile that comes with it. I’d rather have meds working as best they can with slight side effect. A sane mind is worth much more than a few sacrifices.
I compromise between theraputic dose + lower dose to curb side effects. Side effects cause poor mental states for me as much as too low a dose. There’s no black and white, but grays.
for me motivation is a sign I’m getting better. if I’m not motivated to do anything then I am worse. if I can get up in the morning and clean the house or take my husband out without moaning, its a good sign