---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm manic, I'm so awake and alert…"
description: "\"When I'm manic, I'm so awake and alert, that my eyelashes fluttering on the pillow sound like thunder.\" — Andy Behrman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/andy-behrman-22769_awake_when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-th_56193.png"
---

#  When I'm manic, I'm so awake and alert, that my eyelashes…

![“When I'm manic, I'm so awake and alert, that my eyelashes fluttering on the pillow sound like thunder.” quote by Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/andy-behrman-22769_awake_when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-th_56193.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/andy-behrman-22769_awake_when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-th_56193.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/andy-behrman-22769_awake_when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-th_56193.png)

> “When I'm manic, I'm so awake and alert, that my eyelashes fluttering on the pillow sound like thunder.”

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Describes the heightened sensory perception and racing thoughts during a manic episode, where ordinary sounds become overwhelming.

**In simple terms:** Manic hyperawareness amplifies mundane stimuli.

Key Takeaway

Mania can distort perception of reality.

Themes

mental health perception mania sensory overload psychology

Mood

intense vivid anxious

Type

personal anecdote psychological observation

When to use this quote

- during a manic episode
- in therapy sessions
- while writing poetry

Key Concepts

bipolar disorder hyperarousal

Practical Applications

- clinical assessment of mania
- creative writing about mental states

Questions to Reflect On

- How does heightened perception affect decision‑making?
- Can intense sensory experiences be harnessed positively?

A Different Perspective

Mania may also bring clarity and productivity, not only distress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alert Eyelashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alert-eyelashes-781599/) [Awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awake/) [Eyelashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyelashes/) [Eyelashes Fluttering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyelashes-fluttering-781598/) [Fluttering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fluttering/) [Manic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manic/) [Manic Awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manic-awake-781597/) [Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pillow/) [Pillow Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pillow-sound-781600/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Thunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thunder/)

## Related quotes

> [It does help to actually realize that however stunning the person who is, you know, fluttering eyelashes at you, she doesn't do anything to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/it-does-help-to-actually-realize-that-however-stunning-the-person-who/)

[Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/)

> [And how to paint your lovely hands, fluttering over the silks like two dark birds?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-borton-de-trevino/and-how-to-paint-your-lovely-hands-fluttering-over-the-silks-like-two/)

[Elizabeth Borton de Trevino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-borton-de-trevino/)

> [“Now hollow fires burn out to black, And lights are fluttering low: Square your shoulders, lift your pack And leave your friends and go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-hollow-fires-burn-out-to-black-and-lights-are-fluttering-low/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Vain-glorious man, when fluttering wind does blow In his light wing's, is lifted up to sky; The scorn of-knighthood and true chivalry. To think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/vain-glorious-man-when-fluttering-wind-does-blow-in-his-light-wing-s/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [The mother-women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-chopin/the-mother-women-seemed-to-prevail-that-summer-at-grand-isle-it-was/)

[Kate Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-chopin/)

> [“He felt a fluttering inside his chest that he mistook for an air pocket - probably left from when he pushed himself through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/he-felt-a-fluttering-inside-his-chest-that-he-mistook-for-an-air/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [They watched storms out there so distant they could not be heard, the silent lightning flaring sheetwise and the thin black spine of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-watched-storms-out-there-so-distant-they-could-not-be-heard-the/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/fluttering-and-dancing-in-the-breeze/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-ever-told-me-that-grief-felt-so-like-fear-i-am-not-afraid-but/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [From numberless books the fluttering reader, idle and inconstant, bears away the bloom that only clings to the outer leaf; but genius has its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/from-numberless-books-the-fluttering-reader-idle-and-inconstant-bears/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [“Necessity knows no magic formuae—they are all left to chance. If a love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/necessity-knows-no-magic-formuae-they-are-all-left-to-chance-if-a/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [What is more cheerful, now, in the fall of the year, than an open-wood-fire? Do you hear those little chirps and twitters coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/what-is-more-cheerful-now-in-the-fall-of-the-year-than-an-open-wood/)

[Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/)

> [The dragon-fly is dancing,— Is on the water glancing, She flits about with nimble wing, The flickering, fluttering, restless thing. Besotted chafers all admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-dragon-fly-is-dancing-is-on-the-water-glancing-she-flits-about/)

[Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/)

> [He was sailing over a boundless expanse of sea, with a blood-red sky above, and the angry waters, lashed into fury beneath, boiling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/he-was-sailing-over-a-boundless-expanse-of-sea-with-a-blood-red-sky/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [A room full of words that are nearly the truth but not quite, each note fluttering off the steam of its rose like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/a-room-full-of-words-that-are-nearly-the-truth-but-not-quite-each/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

## More by Andy Behrman

> [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [Friends and family were convinced I was functioning just fine because I was efficient, productive and successful - who wouldn't be working twenty hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/friends-and-family-were-convinced-i-was-functioning-just-fine-because/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [People accuse me of glamorizing mental illness. Looking back sometimes, that's true. But I don't feel guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/people-accuse-me-of-glamorizing-mental-illness-looking-back-sometimes/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [The little depression I experienced during my manic-depression was not like depression as anyone else had ever described it. It was very violent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/the-little-depression-i-experienced-during-my-manic-depression-was/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [Like Sylvia Plath, Natalie Jeanne Champagne invites you so close to the pain and agony of her life of mental illness and addiction, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/like-sylvia-plath-natalie-jeanne-champagne-invites-you-so-close-to/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [In my most psychotic stages, I imagine myself chewing on sidewalks and bulging and swallowing sunlight and clouds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/in-my-most-psychotic-stages-i-imagine-myself-chewing-on-sidewalks-and/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [Weekly $25,000 shopping binges at Barney's and "high end" boutiques for clothes I barely wore were the norm. So were lavish meals with friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/weekly-25-000-shopping-binges-at-barney-s-and-high-end-boutiques-for/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [I counterfeited Mark Kostabi's artworks. During the eighties, Mark didn't paint his own paintings. Instead, he had other artists painting them, and he just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/i-counterfeited-mark-kostabi-s-artworks-during-the-eighties-mark-didn/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [The guilt I felt for having a mental illness was horrible. I prayed for a broken bone that would heal in six weeks. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/the-guilt-i-felt-for-having-a-mental-illness-was-horrible-i-prayed/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [There are lots of people with mental health disabilities, and that's just the way their life is; it's not like you see it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/there-are-lots-of-people-with-mental-health-disabilities-and-that-s/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [“Bipolar disorder is about buying a dozen bottles of Heinz ketchup and all eight bottles of Windex in stock at the Food Emporium on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/bipolar-disorder-is-about-buying-a-dozen-bottles-of-heinz-ketchup-and/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [I think almost all manic depressives exhibit some kind of criminal behaviour, even if it's something as minimal as shoplifting, but then they often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/i-think-almost-all-manic-depressives-exhibit-some-kind-of-criminal/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [In total, I was diagnosed with depression by eight psychotherapists and psychiatrists over a period of thirteen years. Diagnosed wrong. Absolutely wrong. My accurate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/in-total-i-was-diagnosed-with-depression-by-eight-psychotherapists/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [I felt like I was the only person on the planet with this 'thing called depression', and I remember being frightened. I was knocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/i-felt-like-i-was-the-only-person-on-the-planet-with-this-thing/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [As no one knew much about my mental illness, a lot of people had the attitude that I had the capability to 'kick it'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/as-no-one-knew-much-about-my-mental-illness-a-lot-of-people-had-the/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

[Explore all 27 Andy Behrman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

## More Awake quotes

> [“I am awake. I know what you took. I am coming for you. Vengeance is mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-burks/i-am-awake-i-know-what-you-took-i-am-coming-for-you-vengeance-is-mine/)

[Robin Burks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-burks/)

> [Reagan was sitting up at Cath's desk when Cath woke up. "Are you awake?" "Have you been watching me sleep?" "Yes, Bella. Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/reagan-was-sitting-up-at-cath-s-desk-when-cath-woke-up-are-you-awake/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“Are you awake?” “Have you been watching me sleep?” “Yes, Bella. Are you awake?” “No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/are-you-awake-have-you-been-watching-me-sleep-yes-bella-are-you-awake/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/have-courage-for-the-great-sorrows-of-life-and-patience-for-the-small/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the Messiah?" "No," answered Buddha. "Then are you a healer?" "No," Buddha replied. "Then are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/one-of-his-students-asked-buddha-are-you-the-messiah-no-answered/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/)

[Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/)

> [Hopes are dreams of those who are awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hopes-are-dreams-of-those-who-are-awake/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If your heart isn't yet illumined Be awake always, be a seeker of the heart, Be at war continually with your carnal soul. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/if-your-heart-isn-t-yet-illumined-be-awake-always-be-a-seeker-of-the/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Wherever I went I felt like the last person awake in a room full of sleepers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/wherever-i-went-i-felt-like-the-last-person-awake-in-a-room-full-of/)

[Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/)

> [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/)

[Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/)

> [As your awareness of the riches available to you in your everyday life grows, you are on the way to becoming the laughing Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/as-your-awareness-of-the-riches-available-to-you-in-your-everyday/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

> [“Think of it this way, Mara. We don’t have the power to make the sun rise, but we can choose to be awake when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-garlough-brown/think-of-it-this-way-mara-we-don-t-have-the-power-to-make-the-sun/)

[Sharon Garlough Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-garlough-brown/)

> [“The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. A bird that stays awake when the rest of the world sleeps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-rose/the-owl-he-was-saying-is-one-of-the-most-curious-creatures-a-bird/)

[M.J. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-rose/)

> [The shadows in the early morning don't tell much. The shadows rest at that time. So it's useless to gaze very early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/the-shadows-in-the-early-morning-don-t-tell-much-the-shadows-rest-at/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/shall-we-keep-men-in-a-fool-s-paradise-shall-we-lull-them-into-soft/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

[Browse all 1,663 Awake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awake/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I'm manic, I'm so awake and alert, that my eyelashes fluttering on the pillow sound like thunder.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andy Behrman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-that-my-eyelashes-fluttering-on/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awake"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-that-my-eyelashes-fluttering-on/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/andy-behrman-22769_awake_when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-th_56193.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/andy-behrman-22769_awake_when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-th_56193.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/andy-behrman-22769_awake_when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-th_56193.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I'm manic, I'm so awake and alert, that my eyelashes fluttering on the pillow sound like thunder.” — Andy Behrman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Andy Behrman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I'm manic, I'm so awake...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-that-my-eyelashes-fluttering-on/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-that-my-eyelashes-fluttering-on/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
