Questions about anxiety and mood?

Hiya.. to answer you're question firstly yes anxiety can affect your mood. Depression and anxiety usually go hand in hand.

Hi! Let me start off by saying that I suffer from Bipolar II w/ Hypomanic Episodes and Anxiety.

As the other person said, depression and anxiety definitely go hand in hand. At times, it may even be hard to distinguish. Given said, going through either or both can and will affect your mood and how you process things. In turn, how you behave, act and even react.

Based on what you’ve shared, you definitely impulsively reacted when giving your two-week notice without genuinely thinking things thru, but hey! don’t beat yourself up about it. You can either, (1) have a convo with your boss to see if they’ll allow you to stay OR  (2) accept their decision to decline your request and accept the new job offer. I always say, “NEVER make permanent decisions off of temporary feelings”. 

Moving on to your marital feud: Anxiety is known for causing agitation and irritability, so during these feuds, it most likely amplified your emotions/reaction and clouded your overall mindset. Also, bringing up the past NEVER EVER helps a thing! No matter what he did that you can’t seem to let go of.....you MUST! Easier said than done yes, but it’s 100% necessary.

If you forgave him, you can’t keep bringing it up. It’s very damaging to him, you and the marriage. What does the constant reminder do, aside from bring back pain? You can’t progressively “move” ahead while carrying around “dead weight”. All it does is, drag and pull you guys back. Not to mention the fact that, it’s annoying as hell. 

But....does this give him the right to say hurtful things? Absolutely not; however, understand this....this may just be his poor combative reaction to your anxious behavior and what comes with it (getting outta control on your end). An instant defense mechanism?? Idk, either way it’s not good on either part.

In situations like this, open communication is key. You may “think” that he knows what’s going on, but in reality he may have no clue how it’s affecting you.

I don’t know the dynamics of your marriage to speak on it, but a lot of time ppl make the assumptions that others around should understand how “etc etc” is affecting them, but they really don’t. That’s why, you gotta have honest talks and even ask for “louder love”. 

Your husband may be thinking, “ok, it’s just a change in her job...etc what’s the big deal...” while you’re over here freaking out. He processes things one way and you process it another, so he’s looking at you like wth! As a result, you don’t “feel” compassion or support. But...is that just a feeling or is it a fact? Is your hubby this rude and insensitive guy that NEVER supports you?  If not, it’s probably just a temporary “feeling”.

But wait!! Now.....all of your compounded anxiety continues to fester, keeps you up and trickles into another convo at 2am (wth!) that eventually ends w/ yelling and permanent decisions off of temporary emotions. The argument was probably dumb and had nothing to do w/ nothing.

In short, it really comes boiling down to that ugly dumb thing called “anxiety”. This ugly thing will almost always affect your mood, behavior, actions and reactions, but things will be ok. You need to have a sit down w/ hubby and explain how you feel and how things are affecting you. Maybe even offer him ways that you “need” to feel that comfort and support during those times (more kisses, longer hugs, a bath...etc). 

Remember: Feelings are NOT Facts

AND

NEVER make permanent decisions off of temporary emotions (asking hubby to break up)

When you go to your GP, discuss everything and keep an open mind. Also, don’t let them jump the gun and diagnose you, especially if that’s not their specialized area of medical study. That’s what psychiatrist’s and psychologist’s are there for.

 As far as being bipolar, that’s a tough one to answer, because like anxiety, it too can cause insomnia and irritability.

(Medical Definition of Hypomania)

“Hypomania: A condition similar to mania but less severe. The symptoms are similar with elevated mood, increased activity, decreased need for sleep, grandiosity, racing thoughts...Hypomanic people tend to be unusually cheerful, have more than ample energy, and need little sleep. Hypomania is a pleasurable state. It may confer a heightened sense of creativity and power. Hypomania can be difficult to diagnose because it may masquerade as mere happiness...” (www.medicinenet.org)

I definitely weren’t in a “happy” state. More stressed and possibly some depression symptoms maybe. I felt jittery and like I HAD to be moving and doing something but definitely not a good energy. I just felt like I had to be doing something to get rid of the symptoms i was having. I cried a lot thinking about everything and was irritable and on edge. My doctor seemed to think it was anxiety and panic attacks and tried to put me on some medicine. But I’m super sensitive to medications therefore I refuse to take any. I have been going to therapy for about 8 months now but only go once a month now. I thankfully had an appointment this week and she also said she thought it was anxiety and ocd.