We all experience mood swings at some point in our lives. One minute you’re up, the next you’re down, or one minute you’re calm, the next you’re fuming with anger. There can be many causes of mood swings included external factors, hormones and physiological factors, but if you find yourself suffering with them a lot and feel you have little or no control over your actions and wellbeing, it may be time to try and take charge of your moods once and for all.
I have helped many clients cope with mood swings using hypnotherapy. I work with clients to help them regain control of their emotions, to take a step back, recognise triggers and control unwanted behaviours. There are a few pieces of advice I can give you to help you start on this journey.
Limit Your Triggers
When you start to monitor your moods and the circumstances that surround them you’ll probably start to realise that there are certain things that trigger these moods. Conflict, phobias and stress are all well-known triggers for negative mood swings. Even things such as thirst, hunger, extreme temperatures, exercise and diet can have a huge effect on moods and tolerance so one important step is to look after yourself and make sure you’re giving yourself the best possible chance of handling anything you’re presented with calmly.
Take A Step Back
Mood swings become out of control when we feed the emotions. We start to feel a little afraid or upset and our untrained minds take a cue and start replaying negative thoughts in our head – nobody likes us, it’s always going to be like this etc. Our mind takes its cue from our mood and believes that our mood is a result of rational thinking and actual events, but this is often not the case. Our mind can trick us into overreaction.
Try to learn to take a step back from situations and separate your mood from reality. Use your rational mind to cultivate positive self-talk.
What am I feeling?
Is there a reason?
Does the reality really match the intensity of my emotion?
What else may be contributing to my mood?
Are my thoughts accurate and helpful?
Am I voicing my opinions rather than fact and building up unhelpful, negative thoughts?
What can I do to help myself cope?
Learn To Cope
The last question is key. You can learn skills that enable you to recognise when your moods have become unstable or volatile, but our emotions can be so strong it takes a strong will and mind to fight against them. Still, it can be done with a little practice.
Firstly, recognise that these extreme moods are not helpful to you – even the highs. Learn to cultivate optimism in good and bad times. Take time to make a list of all the good things in your life and be mindful every day to notice the world around you and all the good in it. This will train your mind to help you when times are hard.
Avoid overgeneralisation and stop negativity with positive self-talk. Statements like “I never get what I want”, “this always happens to me” and “I’ll be alone forever” are extremely negative generalisations. Many people who experience mood swings have a very black and white view of the world so take some time to explore complexities and understand things are rarely simple.
You may have experienced a setback today but that one setback doesn’t summarise your whole life – it’s just one event in a series of many and you have the power to change things. Conversely, if things are going well take a moment to remember when things weren’t so good to maintain some emotional balance.
If you can find a safe space or calming activity that makes you feel stable and secure, you can turn to this in times of extremes to regain balance.
Further Help
If you feel like you’re living at the mercy of your mood swings, my advanced hypnotherapy can help you regain your emotional balance, stability and control. Together we can explore the causes of your mood swings, develop coping and avoidance strategies, practise relaxation techniques, learn how to deal with stressors and develop a healthy emotional balance.
Please do contact me to learn more about how I can help you.
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