What is mood changes?
Mood changes refer to shifts or fluctuations in a person's emotional state. We all experience ups and downs in how we feel from day to day or even moment to moment. These mood variations can happen for several reasons:
Why do moods change?
- Hormone fluctuations are a major influence on moods. In fact, hormonal imbalances may underlie conditions like anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder. Hormones that particularly impact moods include estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and thyroid hormones.
- Physical factors like sleep, diet, and exercise can affect brain chemistry and mood regulation. For example, not getting enough sleep can lead to feelings of irritability or sadness.
- External or environmental situations can impact how we feel. Stressful life events, relationship problems, and difficult circumstances can all trigger emotional reactions.
- We all have our own unique mood profile based on our genetics, experiences, and personalities. Some of us are more prone to moodiness, while others are naturally even-keeled.
How to stabilize your moods
To balance your moods, it's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and mitigate factors that negatively influence your emotions. Key strategies include:
- Focus on self-care - get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and carve out time for relaxing activities. This supports emotional resilience.
- Practice stress management techniques like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing. Reducing stress can really improve your mood.
- Consider counseling or therapy if mood swings feel overwhelming. A therapist can give you tools to better understand and manage your emotions.
Minor mood fluctuations are completely normal. But if you're struggling with dramatic, uncontrollable mood swings that are impacting your daily life, it's important to talk to a professional. With some lifestyle adjustments and emotional support, most people can achieve better mood stability over time.