Potential trigger warning.

Hey there, I'm 28, male. Recently been trying to look at my life from a third person perspective after having a sort of mental breakdown at my previous job. I really don't know what to look for (as far as symptoms go) when it comes to bipolar. I am NOT asking for a diagnosis; I am fully aware that is against this subreddit's rules.

What I want to ask, is what are different people's symptoms in their every day life. I've read the usual bipolar descriptions on wiki and medical sites and whatnot, but none of them are really... descriptive or helpful. I understand that it's because everyone is different. 

I have any appointment set up with my doctor and a therapist. I guess I'm just trying to figure out if I have mood instability or if it's something else.