15 Tips to Manage Mood Swings Naturally
Mood swings can happen to anyone at any time. They can take you by surprise, disrupt your personal and professional life and sometimes leave you wondering what caused them in the first place. Frequent changes in mood can lead people to believe they may be depressed as they find it hard to enjoy life and feel oversensitive and frustrated with trivial matters.
Before reaching any conclusion about your recurring mood changes, try these natural solutions to improve your mood, and if nothing seems to help, talk to an experienced and empathetic therapist who will help you understand what’s going on and how to manage it.
1. Your brain produces a chemical called serotonin, which regulates your mood.
Low levels of serotonin can trigger bad mood, anxiety and feelings of unhappiness. Mood swings occur as a result of frequent surges and dips in your serotonin levels, which can be raised without medication.
2. Common symptoms of mood swings include:
- tiredness
- unexplained fatigue
- bad temper
- irritability
- depression
Watch out for these symptoms in yourself or a loved one and dig deeper to understand the real cause behind the upheavals.
3. Many times mood swings occur as a result of hormonal changes or hormonal imbalance.
This can occur in both men and women. Mood swings triggered by hormonal problems clearly have an underlying biological cause that should be addressed by a competent physician.
4. Bad mood can hinder your ability to make rational decisions,
which can affect your personality, relationships and performance at work. At the same time, relationship struggles and professional problems can give rise to episodes of bad mood, causing a vicious cycle that you need to recognize and break by seeking help.
5. Using natural therapies such as:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Diet changes
- Herbal teas
- and exercise
is a safe and effective way to manage mood changes. Breathing exercises, for example, can help lower blood pressure, a therapeutic massage can calm your nerves and meditation can help you think more clearly. If your condition requires conventional medication, these natural therapies can be taken up alongside to help you feel calm and relaxed.
6. Many women experience mood swings
because of fluctuating levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone during their menstruation and menopause cycles. These hormones affect the production of serotonin in your brain. So if you feel particularly low before your period sets in, know that you’re not alone.
7. While traditionally hormone therapy has been used to regulate hormonal changes in women, phytoestrogens are the new-age green solution to combat changing estrogen and testosterone levels.
Phytoestrogens are estrogen-like compounds found in plants. Legumes, olive oil, peanuts, soy products, sesame seeds, dried fruits and many herbs are rich in phytoestrogens and may help improve your serotonin levels.
8. Persistent negative thinking can cause your mood to dip for no apparent reason.
If you feel low often, consider if repetitive thoughts could be the cause behind your bad moods. Joelle Rabow Maletis LLC says that the best way to stop having negative thoughts is to replace every negative thought you have with a positive one, as soon as it crosses your mind.
9. If you experience the roller coaster of changing moods frequently,
take a critical look at your diet. Unhealthy foods, refined carbs, desserts, sugary snacks, sodas, caffeine and alcohol are known to affect our mental well-being. While they may give you a temporary high, these foods are devoid of any nutrition and affect your body at all levels. In addition, they cause additional stress on an already stressed immune system and may worsen your symptoms.
10. Don’t be harsh on yourself when bad mood strikes.
Instead, step back to try and understand what triggered a dip in your mood and do something to make yourself feel better, such as go for a walk, watch a movie or take a warm bath. If bad moods persist and occur frequently, show yourself some self-love by speaking with a qualified mental health professional.
11. Watch out for a tendency for stress eating,
which can lead to weight gain and health problems such as high cholesterol and high blood sugar and obesity. A healthy diet is a crucial part of mood management. Eat a balanced diet and take your mind off food by engaging in activities that will boost your serotonin levels, such as going for a swim, helping someone out, spending time with your pet or taking a couple of days off work for a short vacation.
12. Mood swings are also caused by nutrient deficiencies.
Certain vitamins and minerals have been directly linked with mental health as they affect our bodies at the cellular level. Cells, including brain cells, need several nutrients to make chemicals and hormones. Vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6 play an important role in how our mind and body respond to stress. Get yourself tested for nutrient deficiencies if you’re struggling with mood swings and can’t pinpoint an obvious cause.
13. While everyone experiences sudden mood changes once a while, persistent mood fluctuations need to be taken seriously.
If you’ve been finding it difficult to enjoy activities that you used to love previously or find it hard to feel joyful or to be active, don’t deal with it alone. Share your challenges with a family member or close friend and also talk to a physician you trust.
14. Just like good mood, bad mood is a passing state
that could be caused by the current conditions around you, which are bound to change after a while. Acknowledge that a bad mood is really a temporary state of mind and let it run its course rather than spending your energy on cursing yourself for being “so moody.”
15. Don’t deal with a bad mood by binge-eating or shopping for things you don’t need.
While these activities will provide you temporary relief, you may later regret these when the bad mood passes and you realize you’ve put on weight or overshot your credit card limit.
Do you have any tips or suggestions that help you when you experience mood swings? Please leave your comment below!
