searching for advice and tips
if you have experience with mood stabilizers or something similar, i need your help.
i’m a few months on my first mood stabilizer and the lack of mania is… hard. nothing seems to feel like it brings as much joy as it used to and instead everything i used to love feels boring. what should i do? should i try to relearn how to experience joy in a healthy way? or should i try a different medication because this isn’t normal? it just feels like my medication is doing what it should be, but my excitement is a casualty.
@last2braincells I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with this shift in your emotions. Adjusting to new medications can indeed be challenging, especially when they affect how we experience and process emotions. It's essential to remember that everyone's response to medications can vary, and what you're experiencing might be part of the adjustment period.
Relearning how to experience joy differently could be beneficial. Exploring new hobbies, interests, or activities might help you find excitement and happiness in different aspects of life. However, it's also crucial to communicate openly with your healthcare provider about this, as they can provide guidance on managing your medication or exploring potential adjustments. It's crucial to work closely with them to find the right balance between mood stability and the ability to experience positive emotions.
Losing your excitement isn't fun, @last2braincells
Related to the work for Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Dr. Gabor Mate, I read articles on how medication makes it so that people feel less.
The history of mental health medication is worth discussing. How to get your excitement back and feel stable, is worth investigating as well. Others have done it and I believe that you can too.