It has happened to everyone. One day you are just walking around minding your own business and doing your chores, when suddenly you bump into someone, or suddenly recall an idea or a memory that leads you into a fit of rage or leave you feeling overwhelmed with sadness. Or you could be spending time with your family and a tiny comment from your mother suddenly sends you into a spiral of flash backs that cause you to suddenly burst out with anger or tears. It is not uncommon for people to have mood swings, especially if there are constant triggers around you. However, having frequent mood swings can be incredibly difficult and hard to manage. Not learning to deal with them can make it a lot harder to control in the long run and can become more frequent. Mood swings are a problem we all need to face in a healthy and proper way. It’s time to take action and learn to manage your mood swings.
Analyze the Situation
One of the best things you can do when you are having a sudden mood swing is to analyze the situation. Understand what triggered this sudden change. Try to be a little bit more optimistic, but still be prepared. For example, you suddenly get really sad after your parents talked to you about your school or work. This causes a sudden sadness in you that you can’t seem to control. Or you suddenly get irritated after someone on the bus stop stepped on your foot. These are all understandable reasons for your sudden change of mood, but it can be easily analyzed. Why did you get sad? Was it because what your parents were saying hurtful? Or are you sad because you are stressed or confused about it? Understanding the situation can make you understand your mood swing and can help in situations like this in the future. This also works with irritation, sense of hopelessness and anger.
Take A Step Back
If you are constantly experiencing mood swings, take a few minutes away from the scene and relax. Instead of drowning yourself with the emotion and step back from it. Think about your scenario and what is the worst and the best possible outcome. This can help you relax a bit and understand why you are feeling the way you do. Never linger on your mood swing and allow your mind to feed it. If you suddenly feel angry, try to go into a place mental or physical where you feel happy.
Cut Off Your Triggers
A lot of us struggle with mood swings, but others are more prone to it due to their constant triggers. Stress, a toxic relationship, negative surroundings, irritable work place and so on. These are some of the possible triggers. If you have a friend that is constantly irritating you or causing you negative energy, try staying away from them for a while and see if that person could be a reason for your mood swings. Cutting off people or changing your environment can be difficult, but if it’s something that you can do to improve your overall health – it is worth a try. Your triggers may not even be a place or person. It can be a habit or thing. Some people experience sudden mood swings after over eating and see something that meant something to them.
Be Healthier
People that exercise regularly and eat healthy are less prone to mood swings. It is said to be due the happy hormones your body produces when you exercise. Eating healthier improves your hormone levels. This also lessens bad chemicals in junk food or fatty food that can produce stress hormones.
Learn to Laugh
Often after we get a mood swing, we realized how much we overreacted to a situation or how much we over read it – we tend to feel ashamed. This shame can only cause the feelings to linger and make future mood swings more difficult. One of the most important thing you can do is to laugh at yourself and learn from it. This can help you take yourself less seriously and learn to analyze the world in a different perspective. People that are prone to mood swings struggle with this concept, but if you really want to learn to control it and hopefully get rid of it someday. Learn to laugh and never hold onto past emotions.
Mood swings can happen for different reasons and can fluctuate through the day. However, people that constantly suffer from severe fluctuating mood swings can be suffering from a more serious psychological or physical condition. If you suffer from severe mood swings or even sudden fits of sadness or rage alone, consult your physician. Do not allow it to be a common event. Not properly treating mood swing can lead to severe physical and mental problems in the future. Other possible causes for mood swings are depression, bipolar disorder, addiction, alcohol abuse, PMS, menopause, severe trauma, unhealthy lifestyle and lack of sleep.
