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What to Do About Mood Swings

Mood swings are when one minute you feel fine but then the next, you are in a terrible mood. It is normal to have good days and bad days. If your fluctuating moods are taking over your life, it is important that you find how to better calm down to stabilize your moods.

Mood swings can be very scary when they are in the extreme and you do not know what to do about them. You could in one instance be in such a great mood that you decide to have a shopping spree. In another instance, you could be threatening to harm someone or yourself. There are a number of mental health conditions that can explain your uncontrollable mood swings such as bipolar disorder where you can switch from being extremely happy to extremely sad or cyclothymic disorder which is less severe.

You could also be having a personality disorder where you rapidly change your mood in a short period of time. It is also possible that you could have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or schizophrenia. Mood swings can also happen as a result of hormonal changes like if you are going through puberty. If you are a woman, you can have mood swings based on being pregnant or if you are on menopause. Drugs and alcohol can also negatively affect your mood. Any mental health condition is treatable with the right medication, professional help, and natural remedies.

Mood swings can occur based on assuming the worst of a situation. For example, you may be having a good day today and your mom may have sent you a text message to call her when you have a chance. You could be thinking the worst that there is a death in the family or she is mad at you about something. All this negative thinking will do is paint you an inaccurate picture that will make you very angry for no reason. Think about what positive scenarios can come from your mother wanting you to call her as she might have good news to tell you. Or you can think of the worst possible scenario so that you are prepared for it. Then when your mother does call you, you will realize that there was nothing to worry about and nothing like you imagined.

You may also be the type where you get easily worked up over every minor problem. For example, a coworker may have told you about something that you need to improve on for a project. You do not like people telling you what to do or telling you that you did something wrong. You were having a great shift until that coworker gave you that one piece of criticism, making you be in an awful mood for the rest of the day. Instead of overgeneralizing this negative comment towards you and letting it ruin your day, think of the relationship that you had with your coworker before this happened. That your coworker was always nice to you and helpful. If this comment was given to you, it might have been to help you. It is important to take a deep breath and let the comment go to avoid it affecting your work performance.

It is also best to know when to walk away. You may be getting into a disagreement with someone and feel yourself getting very angry. This would normally be the point where you would do or say things that you do not mean out of anger. Tell the person you are arguing with that you need to step out and recollect your thoughts. Go to a quiet place, take a deep breath, and think about what just happened. When your thinking goes back to normal, you will be able to view the situation more rationally. You should also make yourself a calming routine every time you feel like you are about to get worked up. This can mean listen to a particular genre of music that helps you relax like jazz or classical music. Pet your cat or dog as they can be a calming influence for you. It can also mean stepping outside to take a walk as you let the feel-good endorphins kick in. While you may not have your pet with you anywhere or always be allowed to listen to your music, bring a picture of your pet with you and have a particular song playing in your head.

Other than calming techniques, you also need to take care of yourself. This involves making sure that you exercise for half an hour to an hour three times a week. It also means sleeping for seven to eight hours. Eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbs, and essential nutrients to give you enough energy to last you throughout the day. Continue to practice calming techniques like meditation or yoga. Try to schedule times when to relax every day and keep up with this routine. You should also find a creative outlet to express yourself. Instead of blowing up at people when you have been having a good day, have a journal handy to write down all of those negative thoughts taking over your mind so that you can speak rationally when it is time to talk. By taking control of your mood swings, you will be able to maintain positive relationships and be overall happy with your life.

At Enlightened Recovery, we are here to help you remember that life can be full of happiness and enjoyable moments, once we learn how to manage our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Call us today: (833) 801-LIVE.

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