What to do about mood swings

Edwin Selij
April 28, 2017

Happy, angry, happy, sad, elated, withdrawn, proud, disappointed, optimistic, pessimistic. If these types of emotions alternate quickly with you, you may suffer from mood swings. A mood swing is actually an emotional process that is important to keep you motivated to find solutions to your problems. Everyone has mood swings from time to time. Usually because a problem presents itself. The negative emotion with the problem gets you motivated to solve it to be happy again.

However, if this happens very often in a day, you can really suffer from mood swings. That's why in this article I discuss what mood swings are, what causes it and what you can do about it.

What are mood disorders?

Initially, it is important to know that everyone suffers from mood swings to some degree; as described in the introduction, mood swings have an important function for your survival and problem solving.

However, if you suffer from mood swings constantly instead of occasionally, it can be quite frustrating. It can even affect your relationships, friends and how you function at work( 1). If this happens several weeks in a row, it is wise to seek help to suffer less from mood swings.

Mood swings can actually worsen over time in some cases if you don't do something about the cause of the mood swings. Sometimes they can even prevent you from going to work.

Causes of mood swings

The most severe form of mood swings occurs in people with bipolar disorder. From manic they can go to depressive.

However, most people have minor mood swings. Which have a cause other than bipolar disorder.

In some people, certain triggers can cause mood swings. If something makes you anxious, that can already cause a major mood change( 2).

You may also suffer from mood swings for no apparent reason. In that case, you can see if your hormones are still balanced and if your neurotransmitters are functioning properly.

Mental fatigue is also often a reason for mood swings. Any stimulation that has anything to do with a problem can become too much for you and can trigger emotions you don't want. This is often a sign of overexertion as well.

Mood swings can also be a side effect of medication.

What to do about mood swings

In some cases, you may feel a mood change coming on. In that case, try to get away from the situation you are in at that time. Leaving a space or activity can help prevent the mood change.

Stop what you are doing if you are experiencing mood swings and check for yourself why you are feeling different now and whether it makes sense. The realization that it is not logical, or where the mood change is actually coming from, can already give you considerable relief and make you feel a little more "normal" again.

Mindfulness is a useful technique for checking your train of thought and sensing whether you are going to suffer from mood swings or not.

Fake it until you make it. Is something some people use as a tactic to be successful. You can also use this technique to suffer less from mood swings. For example, holding a smile can already make you happier. Don't try to fight your negative emotion, rather try to make a game out of it.

Mood swings as a man

Mood swings in men are most common from age 40 to age 60. This is because this is when there can be an imbalance in the amount of stress hormone and testosterone in a man's body. High estrogen levels can also cause mood swings in men of this age. You may then suffer from:

  • Anger
  • Impatience
  • Sarcasm
  • Tense
  • Aggression
  • Frustration
  • Retreating Yourself
  • Don't Love
  • Grief
  • Dissatisfaction( 3)

If these kinds of emotions sound familiar, you can have your hormone levels checked by a doctor. You might also want to cut back on beer—because of the estrogen—and do more strength training. Strength training helps raise testosterone levels again.

Mood swings before menstruation

Just before and during menstruation, as a woman you experience hormonal changes that can also cause you to experience mood swings. This is also known as PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome). For example, it can make you crave food a lot and your libido can also change, both ways.

In addition, you may also suffer from:

In the case of PMS, you can start by reducing your salt intake as this also increases water in the brain. Drinking less caffeine also helps against these symptoms.

PMS can be remedied in some cases with exercise, yoga, healthy eating and reducing stress.

Especially with negative emotions, mindfulness can also be a good way to stop negative thought processes associated with that emotion.

In menopause

You can also suffer from almost the same symptoms as PMS during menopause due to hormone changes. During menopause, it is important to stay healthy with a healthy diet and adequate exercise( 4).

Menopause can cause feelings of depression in some cases. Hypnosis can support depression treatment.

During pregnancy

During pregnancy, it is often not just hormones, but also expectations about motherhood-to-be that can cause you to experience mood swings. The changes in your body can also cause feelings of uncertainty over time, but that also depends on your character and beliefs.

Mental techniques to suffer less from mood swings

Whatever the cause of your mood swings, besides stabilizing your hormones, there are of course other ways to reduce and prevent mood swings. For that, I have a few more tips.

Tip 1: Keep a journal

By keeping a journal, you can find out what triggers can cause a mood change. For example, I once saw a report about a woman who suffered from mood swings before her period and got terribly upset about shoe shopping, nothing was pretty anymore. If you know this is a trigger you can avoid a shoe store.

Tip 2: Meditate

Stress is also a major factor in getting a mood swing. A small problem can seem much bigger if you already have a lot of stress hormones. By meditating daily for 10 minutes, you can already significantly reduce the number of stress hormones in your blood. Then at least that little problem is already no longer a trigger to get a totally different mood from.

Tip 3: Use mindfulness

Mindfulness is a great way to monitor your thoughts and emotions. After all, thoughts can trigger emotions, and emotions can in turn trigger certain thoughts. By applying mindfulness, you can better separate your emotions and thoughts. Over time you can discover patterns in your thoughts and the associated emotions. You can then break through these more quickly, so that the emotion is also toned down.

Tip 4: Don't be too hard on yourself

Feelings of self-hatred are certainly the least pleasant to deal with during mood swings. If the mood swing itself also triggers additional negative thoughts and emotions, that can be very upsetting. So don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re experiencing mood swings. Self-compassion can actually help you get back to your normal self more quickly.

Tip 5: Check your beliefs about mood swings

Research shows that beliefs that people with bipolar disorder have about having mood swings affect when and how bad the mood swings are( 5). These include the beliefs you have about what symptoms you think you have when you suffer from mood swings, the emotional effects of mood swings, the consequences of mood swings and the beliefs about how much effort you put into getting rid of mood swings.

If these are negative beliefs, they can actually cause you to suffer from mood swings more quickly.

So try to look at it more positively with overleaf thinking.

A hypnotherapist can also help you figure out these beliefs and can help you gain more positive ones. For example, with guided visualization or post hypnotic suggestions.

Tip 6: Use calming techniques when an intense emotion occurs

If your mood change means that you suddenly experience very intense emotions, such as anger or fear, there are calming techniques you can use to be less affected by this emotion. For example, first focus on your breathing. By breathing in and out deeply, you ensure that your brain has enough oxygen to think clearly. In addition, your body posture can also affect your emotion.

Want to learn more about mental techniques to suffer less from negative emotions and thoughts? Then come to the free online master class on hypnosis. You can also visit the View training courses from the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands.

Also pin this handy infographic:


Sources:

1. https://psychcentral.com/lib/all-about-mood-swings/

2. http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/mood-swings

3. https://www.bodylogicmd.com/for-men/irritable-men-syndrome

4. http://www.webmd.com/women/features/escape-hormone-horrors-what-you-can-do#1

5. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10608-012-9452-9