Everyone experiences ups and downs from time to time. It’s also normal to have entire days where you’re feeling overjoyed or in the dumps — it’s part of being human. But what is mood, and how do you know if your fluctuating emotions are a sign of a deeper issue? Here are a few ways to determine whether your mood swings are normal.
Define It
Just what is a mood swing? When you say, “I’m in a good mood,” or “I’m in a bad mood,” what do you mean by that?
You can liken your mood to the weather. Some days are rainy, some sunny, and some are partly cloudy. Often a sunny day is sunny all day, and a rainy day is rainy all day. But at times a sunny day has a spot of clouds mixed in later. Sometimes the rain breaks and gives way to bluer skies.
Mirriam-Webster defines mood as “a conscious state of mind or predominant emotion.” So just as on a sunny day the predominant weather is clear, a good day may have a good mood as the predominant emotion.
A swing, then, is when the consistency of this pattern breaks. Just as clear skies sometimes rapidly fill with stormy clouds, sometimes your mood “swings,” indicating a sudden change from one state to another.
Assess It
There are many reasons why your mood may suddenly alter. Perhaps someone treats you poorly or you receive bad news. Alternatively, someone might give you a compliment, or you might learn you got the promotion you were after. It’s natural then that your mood would shift, maybe even drastically. But a sudden mood change without any clear cause is grounds for further investigation.
Check in with yourself. How is your self-care routine? Restful sleep, nutritious food and water, and consistent, moderate exercise are three fundamental pillars of good health. Are you getting enough of each of these? Where might you be lacking, and how could you take better care of yourself in that area? Sometimes life asks much of us, and our self-care routine is sacrificed in the process.
However, if the cause of your mood swings still evades you, you may need extra assistance. There are many forms of mental health treatment online that will help you address your fluctuating emotions. These services allow patients to consult medical professionals and access prescription medicines for non-acute mental health challenges. An online evaluation will help you assess whether these services are right for you.
Discuss It
Healthy habits and prescription medications can make a huge difference in the quality of your life. But sometimes deeper work is required. If you find that you’re still struggling with mood swings despite these measures, you may consider consulting a therapist.
It’s important to recognize that struggling with your mental health is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s more common than many people realize. About one-fifth of Americans have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. And keep in mind that this statistic doesn’t account for all the people who haven’t been diagnosed. This means at least one out of every five people you see walking down the street is facing emotional challenges.
Thankfully, connecting with a therapist has never been easier. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many practitioners have transitioned to an online format. You can be referred to a therapist by your primary care physician, but you’ll also want to check with your insurance company. They can provide a list of practitioners in your network. You can also search online for therapists who specialize in the particular issues you may be struggling with.
Write It Down
Knowing what kind of help to seek can be a challenge in its own right. A change in habits may seem trivial, and seeking external help may seem too extreme. A great way to organize and evaluate your thoughts is to journal.
Many incredible people throughout time have kept a journal, from Leonardo da Vinci to Oprah. Not only have they used journals for organization, but also for self-reflection and inspiration. Journaling can allow you to externalize your thought process in a way that lets you reexperience it more objectively.
Set a timer for just 10 minutes and write down whatever comes to mind. It can be literally anything: the weather, what you want to eat, what you see around you. The important thing is to start. Eventually, you’ll guide your writing to what’s really important to you — to the things gnawing at your subconscious.
Once you’ve finished writing, read it out loud to yourself. Do you sound like you’re doing well? Imagine that you overheard a friend saying these things. How would they sound to you? This will take some honesty and vulnerability with yourself, but it can be an amazing window into your own psychology.
The Bigger Picture
Mood swings can be tricky to understand. A change in mood is so natural, so fundamental to the human experience that it can be difficult to evaluate. But if your moods swing sharply and without clear cause, it may be worthwhile to step back and reflect. Improved self-care and journaling are useful interventions, but sometimes it may also be necessary to seek external help. No matter what path you choose, remember that there are literally millions of others just like you.
