“Like a roller coaster!”: learning to control mood swings

“I lived like a roller coaster - from euphoria to despair. And I didn’t think that there was anything wrong with me, and I was even proud that I had such a wide emotional range. I considered myself a person with a zest for life, super active and capable of deep experiences. It’s just that sometimes this person may feel so bad that he stops eating, drinking, washing, lies down with his face to the wall and cries. This could no longer be called momentary weakness or harmless mood swings, it was real depression. Both the daughter and the husband were upset at such moments, but did not know how to help. And I didn't know. I just wanted to take a break from everything. And I tried to sleep as often and as long as possible.”

— Alexandra, 28 years old, accountant

Mood swings are familiar to every person. We can be cheerful and friendly in the first half of the day, but at the end of the day we feel sad and sad. Often, such changes in the emotional state are quite understandable: many events happen to us during the day, we interact with many people, we have to argue with friends, defend our positions in the team, and react to disturbing news from the outside world. But some of us may experience sudden mood swings for minor or completely unexplained reasons. And not once or twice during the day, but much more often. Suddenly - even to themselves - they move from laughter to tears, from tenderness to anger. People around them often consider such people to be hot-tempered and even unhealthy people. Why do their moods change so dramatically? How can we cope with mood swings when this happens to us? Let's look at these questions in the article.

Why is everything so unstable: about the causes of mood swings

“It happens that the morning starts well, the heart is light... And suddenly gloominess comes from somewhere. Everything annoys me! And after a few minutes it goes away, as if nothing had happened.”

— Alina, 32 years old, sales consultant

Mood swings are a fairly common emotional reaction of the psyche. In a short period of time, a person can experience a full range of feelings: unbridled happiness is replaced by a feeling of depression, an acute feeling of guilt or strong resentment, rage and anger. A person who is characterized by severe mood swings cannot control his internal state. He conflicts with others and reacts to events in the outside world more aggressively than the situation requires. Such fluctuations in the emotional background lead to increased fatigue. Frequent mood swings can be explained by physiological and psychological reasons.

Physiological reasons:

• genetic predisposition;
• puberty in adolescents;
• hormonal and metabolic disorders;
• neurotransmitter fluctuations;
• endocrine disorders;
• period of pregnancy and lactation;
• menstruation and menopause in women;
• age-related degenerations in the elderly;
• weather sensitivity;
• trauma, postoperative effects of anesthesia;
• damage to the brain and nerve cells;
• neurological disorders.

Psychological reasons:

• nervous exhaustion, frequent stress;
• fatigue as a result of an irregular work schedule;
• fatigue from hard physical labor;
• overwork;
• addictions (alcohol or drug abuse);
• stress before exams among schoolchildren and students;
• conflicts in the family and at work;
• characteristic features of temperament.

Also, constant pathological changes in mood may be a mental disorder, which experts call cyclothymia. [1] A more severe form of the disorder, which manifests itself in the form of affective (manic and depressive, and sometimes mixed) states, is classified as bipolar affective personality disorder. Among the people suffering from this disease there are outstanding talented thinkers, composers, and artists. For example, Vincent Van Gogh suffered from bipolar disorder. [2]

Serotonin

The hormone is found in small quantities in all organs, but a large proportion of it in the body is located in the gastrointestinal tract. That is, it is the health and stable functioning of the digestive system that are largely responsible for a good mood. Of course, the mood depends not only on this. Most of the substance is still located in the brain, from where the functioning of cells throughout the body is regulated. A sufficient amount of serotonin is responsible for concentration, sexual desire, memory, performance and social behavior. What does your mood depend on on bad days? Perhaps it is the lack of the hormone in the body that provokes loss of strength, anxiety, absent-mindedness, stress and other negative emotions.

With a sufficient amount of serotonin in a person, a calm, stable reaction occurs to almost any external stimulus. Such people radiate happiness and joy, and are much less likely to get cancer, since the hormone is able to cope with the formation of “bad” cells in the body.

This substance affects appetite, sleep and feelings of pleasure.

Mood swings in women

“I started having constant mood swings when I was 17. I woke up with a great mood for the day, and at breakfast I was already bawling. During the day I was active, and in the evening I was completely apathetic. I absolutely did not understand the reasons for my condition and did not know what to do with these changes. Since then, I have periodically experienced something similar, especially in the spring. By the age of 25, my friends began to call me hysterical, my colleagues considered me unbearable. There was a fear that everyone would turn away from me. It seemed as if two different people lived inside me..."

— Tatyana, 35 years old, advertising specialist

It is believed that women are more susceptible to mood swings than men. Hippocrates was the first to draw attention to such peculiarities of women’s behavior. Sudden mood swings, fainting, memory loss, paralysis - these strange and changeable symptoms he called hysteria (from the Greek hysteron - “uterus”). Hippocrates believed that hysteria occurs only in women: due to prolonged sexual abstinence, their uterus becomes mobile and, “wandering around the body,” puts pressure on other organs and causes such strange conditions. [3]

Today, psychologists agree that hysterical disorder is a learned pattern of behavior that can be changed. We wrote earlier about the treatment of female hysteria using the 7Spsy behavior modification method. The dynamic pace of life, stress at work, responsibility at home - there are many reasons for mood swings in women. But the main reasons are related to the cyclical nature of female physiology. Let's take a closer look at them.

Premenstrual syndrome

The course of the menstrual cycle provokes periodic mood swings in girls. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a consequence of hormonal changes. Relatively speaking, the body is upset due to the failure of pregnancy - the unfertilized egg dies and leaves the body. During PMS, many women experience increased irritability, aggression, irritability, tearfulness, and emotional swings.

Pregnancy

From the first minutes of pregnancy, serious physiological changes occur in the female body. In turn, these changes affect the emotional state of the expectant mother. The hormonal system is reconstructed, progesterone is intensively produced. This hormone is necessary for the normal course of pregnancy. But at the same time, it has a depressing effect on the psyche: dissatisfaction with oneself and loved ones, nervousness, tearfulness, depression, and anxious thoughts appear. This explains the frequent mood swings during pregnancy.

Lactation

Breastfeeding mothers may experience the so-called “dysphoric milk ejection reflex.” A woman puts her baby to her breast, and at the moment before the milk comes in, negative emotions fall on her. During feeding, the mother experiences physical discomfort (tingling in the chest, sometimes quite painful). But it “covers” her not from touching the breast and pain, but precisely before feeding. And this is also explained by hormonal surges: in order for milk to enter the breast, the level of dopamine (the pleasure hormone) must decrease and the level of prolactin (the hormone responsible for milk) must increase. [4]

Menopause

Sharp mood swings in women during menopause are the most externally noticeable symptom of menopause. As in the case of PMS, the variable emotional state here is a consequence of natural processes in the female body. But if before menstruation the changes last a week or a week and a half, then during menopause this period is much longer - from one and a half to several years. [5]

Additional influence

In fact, the production of hormones is a complex process that can be disrupted by many minor factors. One of these is dehydration of the body, since with insufficient fluid intake, the distribution of substances in organs and the nervous system is disrupted. Thus, if you drink little water, you can provoke a lack of endorphins in the body, and as a result, you can get depression, sleep disturbances, decreased performance, and even the occurrence of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

In other words, the mood of a man or woman largely depends on compliance with the diet. For a good mood and proper metabolism, all you need to do is drink at least 2 liters of clean water every day.

The reason for the disruption of the production of melatonin and serotonin is the presence of free radicals in the body. Nerve tissues are especially sensitive to such substances, so a lack of oxygen in the brain also quickly provokes a deterioration in mood. Prolonged stay in this state causes depression.

Mood swings in teenagers

“I don’t know how to talk to my son... He can change as if on a click: he was just calmly helping me put things on the table, and five minutes later he jumps up from the table and locks himself in his room. And I have no influence on what happens to him.”

— Irina, mother of a 13-year-old teenager

Mood swings in adolescents are also explained by physiological reasons. At the age of 10–13 years, a teenager’s appearance begins to change rapidly, and these changes do not occur gradually, but in sharp leaps. The body changes: first the palms and feet stretch, then the arms, legs, and only then the shoulders and hips tighten. Everything happens so quickly that a teenager can notice something new in himself literally every day. What happens is not always clear and pleasant. The teenager does not know when these changes will end, what they will lead to, or how to relate to them. This causes natural anxiety and confusion.

During this period, the teenager’s personality is just being formed; he is very dependent on assessments and outside opinions, and is sensitive to criticism, especially when someone talks about his appearance. Even those comments from parents that are made with good intentions can traumatize him. Relationships with peers, their jokes and caustic remarks add fuel to the fire. [6] Parents should be as sensitive as possible when communicating with a teenager: speak frankly and explain that every adult experienced the peculiarities of this period of life, offer their support and help, but do not insist on it. Quarrels and scandals between parents during this period are especially painful for the child. Teenagers copy self-regulation skills and behavioral techniques from their parents. Therefore, it is important to create a comfortable, calm environment for him. Mood swings during adolescence are generally normal. However, sometimes they can be the first signals of serious problems, the resolution of which will require the help of a psychologist.

You should pay attention to your teenager's behavior and contact a specialist if the following manifestations become severe and frequent:

• eating disorders (overeating, refusal to eat, preference for eating the same foods);
• auto-aggression (inflicting pain on oneself: wounds, cuts, burns);
• open expression of hatred towards oneself and one's body;
• cruelty towards other people and animals;
• defiant and aggressive behavior;
• decreased discipline and performance at school;
• forgetfulness and absent-mindedness;
• inability to concentrate;
• alcohol consumption;
• impulsive behavior;
• increased fatigue;
• attacks of panic and fear;
• sleep disturbance (constant drowsiness or insomnia due to mood swings);
• the appearance of phobias (fear of darkness, silence, loneliness and others). [7]

Hormones of joy

The very first discovered substances affecting the human condition were acetylcholine and adrenaline. The history of their discovery began with the invention of morphine, which was originally used as a strong sleeping pill. Neurotransmitters, discovered in 1906, became the first established transmitters of impulses in the nervous system. After this, what a person’s mood depends on was only learned in 1976, when endorphins were discovered. These hormones in the body influence many important processes: memory and mood, immune function, metabolism and general maintenance of the body depend on them. It is endorphins that give a person a feeling of joy after achieving a goal. In high concentrations in the body, the hormone makes a person happy. Its deficiency is often the cause of alcoholism and drug addiction, since one has to look for artificial substitutes for the hormone of happiness, which are addictive and subsequently provoke a failure in the synthesis of real endorphins in the body.

What else does a good mood depend on? In the body, endorphins are synthesized from serotonin and dopamine, which can independently influence human emotions. They relieve nervous tension, improve appetite, normalize sleep and brain activity, relieve pain and even speed up wound healing. That is, happy people really get sick less often, recover faster from injuries and easily endure any stressful situations.

Mood swings in men

Mood swings in men can occur as a consequence of a midlife crisis. After 40 years, feelings of anxiety, dissatisfaction, sudden changes in emotional state, and apathy appear more often. By this time, a lot of mental and physical strength has been spent on building well-being in the family, raising and providing for children. A man draws a conclusion and may be dissatisfied with himself and the results he has achieved. Frequent mood swings in young men may be caused by low levels of the hormone testosterone.

Dopamine

Although serotonin actively influences our emotions, our mood is not only influenced by the weather. The hormone dopamine makes people optimists, pioneers and heroes. Its release into the body is provoked by the anticipation of receiving a reward or a certain result of one’s activity. Delight, sincere joy and the desire to experience this feeling again as soon as possible - that’s what dopamine is. It is he who determines your favorite habits, dishes, activities and places you want to go to again. The hormone also regulates the sleep cycle, memory, thinking and is released into the body in stressful situations to alleviate shock, pain or fear.

A lack of the substance in a person is manifested by chronic fatigue, obesity, decreased sexual desire and despondency. To help the body obtain the hormone in sufficient quantities, you need to eat chocolate and not neglect intimacy with your partner.

Sex really does lift your spirits.

Self-test

If, after reading the above, you have a suspicion that your mood swings are pathological, we suggest taking a short self-test. Please note that the results of this test will not confirm a mental disorder, but will tell you whether the problem is worth paying attention to. From the statements below, select those that are typical of your behavior.

If you correlate 7 or more statements with yourself, there is reason to think about how to learn to cope with mood swings and stabilize your emotional sphere.

Adrenalin

Energy, concentration and good mood provide a person with the right amount of adrenaline in the body. In high concentrations, the hormone causes fear and anger, so you should be careful with stimulating its production. A sufficient amount of the substance makes a person energetic, cheerful and allows you to always remain in good shape.

If you feel melancholy and despondency, you can try extreme entertainment, which will definitely help raise the level of adrenaline in your blood.

Advice from psychologists

You can significantly improve your mood for the next few hours simply by exercising. Physical activity helps not only the production of serotonin, but also endorphins. Psychologists assure that any activity related to the pleasure of achieving a goal helps to stabilize good health. That is why they advise having a favorite hobby, the positive emotions from which will regularly raise the level of “happiness hormones” in the body. In reality, our mood does not depend on the weather, but on how we relate to it. The same goes for music, surrounding people, events and everything else. To be happy, you just need to learn to enjoy the little things, and not strive for unattainable heights.

Also, the best cures for all diseases are laughter and sex, only separately. Watching your favorite comedies will definitely increase your endorphin levels, and being close to your loved one will have a positive effect not only on your mood, but also on your health.