Advice please?

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Hello :)

I have a question. I know seeking actual medical advice is probably the sensible long-term option, but I'm curious if anyone has experienced something similar.

Since around 2017, I've had recurring periods that seem very similar to mania. The first time it happened, I was confused but honestly pleased. It started with a dramatic reduction in sleep—I would wake up at 2–4 AM after very little sleep, feel intensely energized and aroused, and then try to go back to bed. During the day I felt almost "high," like I was running on adrenaline and could conquer the world.

My thoughts became extremely active, and every idea felt equally important and actionable. Looking back, there were probably some delusional elements, but I was still able to recognize them and laugh them off rather than fully believe them. The episode lasted about a week and then ended without any depressive crash. I was just tired for a couple of days from the lack of sleep and then returned to my normal baseline.

Because I remained fully functional—working, studying, maintaining relationships, and generally handling life—it never occurred to me to seek help. I don't use drugs, nicotine, or any medications, just coffee.

Now, almost 10 years later, these elevated periods have continued to occur. I've often wondered whether it could be some form of bipolar disorder, but what confuses me is the absence of major depressive episodes. In fact, I can remember long stretches, especially from 2021–2023, where I felt consistently elevated, energetic, creative, and productive. I genuinely enjoyed it.

Part of me is hesitant to bring this up with a doctor because I'm afraid medication would take away what feels like one of my greatest strengths. If I've only experienced positive effects so far, what exactly would I be treating? At the same time, the rational side of me wonders whether there is eventually a price to pay and whether these episodes could become more problematic in the future.

For the most part, I retain insight. I've never publicly embarrassed myself, ruined my finances, damaged relationships, or done anything dangerously impulsive. I can usually identify when an idea is becoming too unrealistic.

There is one other symptom that concerns me, although it doesn't seem connected to the elevated mood episodes. Around eight times in my life, I've had strange episodes lasting 2–4 days where my sense of touch, proprioception, taste, and spatial awareness feel distorted. The best way I can describe it is that my body's positioning feels "off." During the worst episode, I struggled to coordinate a fork to my mouth because my spatial perception felt so inaccurate.

I don't feel depressed during these episodes, and they don't resemble how people describe depersonalization or derealization. My sense of identity and reality remains intact. My speech and thinking are generally unaffected. I just feel spacey, disconnected from my body's positioning, and physically out of sync with my surroundings. Then, after a few days, everything returns to normal.

Has anyone experienced anything similar, either regarding the elevated mood periods without depression or the strange proprioception/tactile episodes?