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What are Mood Swings?
Mood swings happen to the best of us. For moody people, they can occur easily and often. But what are mood swings? Basically, they refer to a person’s change in emotions or mood from one situation or event to another. Moods changes that happen quickly and don’t seem connected with anything else going on in your life may be mood swings.
Types of Mood Swings
There are many types of mood swings that people might experience in their lives. These are the most common types of mood disorders:
Major Depression
This is characterized by a person’s inability to feel pleasure or interest in life, the loss of energy, and feeling extremely tired.
Dysthymia
This is similar to major depression but it is not as severe.
Bipolar Disorder
A person with bipolar disorder experiences extreme highs and lows, going from being productive one moment to finding themselves in deep despair the next.
Mood disorder related to another health condition: this type of mood disorder is usually caused by the body’s reaction to a certain health condition.
Pregnancy
Some pregnant women experience negative feelings towards their changing bodies and they feel sad, angry, or anxious as well as experiencing heightened emotions such as crying all day for no reason.
Substance-induced Mood Disorder
Mood disorders may be caused by the intake of medication, alcohol, or caffeine.
Symptoms of Mood Swings
Symptoms can vary a lot depending on the type of mood swing and what’s causing it. Some people experience dramatic mood swings that include intense highs, such as mania or euphoria, and lows like deep depression.
Other symptoms are:
- feeling hopelessness
- decreased energy
- Feeling worthless
- troubling focusing
- Feeling guilt
- sleep problems
- Feeling restless or agitated.
- frequent physical ailments such as fatigue, headache, or stomach pain
Causes of Mood Swings
There can be several causes of mood swings. Some of them are mentioned below:
Stress and Anxiety
The cause can be stress and anxiety. Our body experiences a surge of adrenaline (a hormone) when we are stressed or anxious, which causes our moods to change quickly.
Medication
Mood swing triggers that stem from medication may include birth control pills, antidepressants, and other prescription drugs. Talk with your doctor if you think your medication is triggering an emotional change.
Hormonal Changes or Other Medical Conditions
Hormonal changes or other medical conditions, such as thyroid issues and menopause have been linked to mood swings that are often difficult to predict.
Conflict in Relationships
When our relationships go through rocky periods, it’s common for us to experience emotional changes. While it can be difficult, allow yourself time and an open mind as you work through the issues with your partner or family member.
Borderline Personality Disorder
People with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) often experience intense and unpredictable changes in mood.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
People with ADHD also experience mood swings due to their brains not regulating dopamine and norepinephrine levels properly.
Common Triggers of Mood Swings
Whether your excessive mood swings are caused by an underlying medical issue or something else, certain factors might set them off. This includes the following:
- stress
- a major transformation in your life
- your dietary habits
- your sleeping patterns
- medicines
Consult your doctor if you have frequent and severe mood changes. It may be beneficial for you to keep track of when you have a mood shift and what you were doing before it occurred. This can assist your doctor figure out if you’re reacting to a lifestyle change or if there’s something more serious going on.
How to Control Mood Swings?
Being able to recognize how you feel can help you determine the best way to deal with your mood swings. Once you’ve realized what sets off your negative feelings or how long it takes for them to pass, try using these coping mechanisms.
Maintain Schedule
Maintain a schedule as much as possible and try to follow it. This will help you lead an organized life and avoid unnecessary stress caused by unplanned activities.
Exercise
Regular exercise is one of the best ways for controlling it.
Sleep Well
Sleep enough hours and also maintain proper sleeping habits such as going to bed at the same time every day.
Avoid Stimulants
Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants.
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Try meditation or yoga to soothe your nerves. Deep breathing can also help you stay relaxed in stressful situations.
Express Yourself
Try to write your feelings in a journal. This will help you deal with negative emotions by getting them out of your system.
Talk It Out
Talking with others about how you feel can also help.
Socialize More
Spend time with your friends and family, doing fun activities together is a great way to get out of a slump!
Try New Things
Change up your routine by trying something new every day
Be Approachable
Avoid snapping at people for no good reason. Try to be patient with people who are acting out, they’re probably just having a tough day too!
Seek Professional Advice
If the symptoms persist, consult a doctor immediately. There might be some underlying health issue causing these changes and ignoring it can lead to bigger issues later on.
Therapy for Mood Swings
Conditions linked with mood abnormalities, such as bipolar disorder and depression, maybe distressing, and treatment can frequently help people cope with mood swings. Because mood swings are a sign of an underlying problem rather than a diagnosable ailment, a mental health expert will work with the client in treatment to figure out what’s causing them. Individuals might also acquire techniques to increase control of mood swings in treatment. It may be simpler to address the underlying difficulties after this is accomplished—often using approaches such as journaling, meditation, mindfulness, or breathing exercises.
A therapist can frequently assist a person in determining if mood swings are a symptom of a mental health problem or a symptom of something else. Whether mood swings are caused by mental or emotional discomfort or are specific to a particular scenario, counseling may frequently help in the process of recognizing the causes of highs and lows, as well as situations that may trigger mood swings. Therapy can also aid in the development of coping mechanisms for dealing with stressors as they emerge.
Conclusion
If you are having any symptoms of mood swings, you should start caring for them before it’s too late. If you are having any problem sleeping, concentrating at work, etc. Consult a doctor first. Do not eat any medicine without consultation from the specialist as it can negatively affect your health. Take necessary precautions beforehand to prevent these palpitations.
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