Gaining Control Over The Automatic
In part one of this article series, you learned more about mood swings, their nature, and main causes.
With all that information in mind, you are now one step closer to resolving any emotional issues you may hold deep within.
Why you may ask?
Well, because to resolve a certain problem completely, you don’t need ‘just a solution’.
You need an understanding of the core of this problem and why it arose in the first place.
As a matter of fact, this deep understanding can also lead to logical conclusions that highlight the exact path towards the resolution of the problem at hand.
Nevertheless, having concrete cues as to the methods you can use to manage mood swings and your emotional states, as a whole, can also massively help!
In this second part of the article series, we’ll cover just that.
And so, are you ready? Let’s start!
Maintaining A Steady Mind
If you’ve read some previous materials on our blog, you have probably seen us mention that the modern-day lifestyle and social dynamics can easily kick your mind off-balance.
In a world like this, it is crucial to establish the skills necessary to keep your mind steady, in order for you to be able to guide it to whatever path you are looking to take.
Based on experience, we would say that this has 3 main aspects:
- Stress management
- Lifestyle choices
- Different perspectives
Let’s start with the most important one – Stress management!
Stress Management
Alright, if the most common culprit for mood swings is stress, then it makes sense for the easiest fix to be stress management.
Depending on the kind of stress you are experiencing, you may need different types of solutions.
For instance, if you are under extreme momentary discomfort, you can try different breathing techniques.
However, yoga may be a better idea if you are dealing with stress that has accumulated through time.
Whether you find it peaceful to be alone or with people, managing stress is absolutely possible and will ease the shifts in your mood.
And yes, yoga and other exercises can help, but stress management is done on a level of perception at the deepest level.
So, whenever you experience a stressful situation, try to stay aware of your reaction to it and start questioning it.
Because reactions involve a great level of emotional output and are automatic, we usually follow their sequence.
But suppose you use your most powerful tool. In that case, awareness and consciousness.
And you use that to question the automatic behaviors, well then, your emotional reactions will change over time, thus leading to less prominent mood swings.
This is base 1. From then on, you have to get back to your natural human patterns, and your emotional transformation will be complete!
Let’s have a look at the lifestyle choices you can abide by to resolve mood swings!
Lifestyle Choices
As we mentioned, your lifestyle choices massively impact the internal chemistry your body is running on.
Bad chemistry means poor emotions and poor emotions mean more frequent mood swings.
Think of it this way – Your body was designed to work in a certain way (that we call ‘natural’) and if you get further from that (which the modern lifestyle pushes us towards), well, you know what happens.
So let’s have a look.
You’ve Got To Move It Move It
Ah, yes, exercise.
When you are consistently active, the machine your body is starts working in the best way it can because it has the best incentive it needs.
Not only that but exercise also releases endorphins that are responsible for regulating stress and overall mood.
By teaching your body to be consistent, your mind will likely follow and naturally start fighting rapid shifts in mood.
Even just a 30-minute workout once every two days will positively affect your emotional state.
Oh, and not to mention, you will start looking better naked as a side effect.
Think of it this way – The body was DESIGNED to move! Just look at your complex musculature – It’s begging for you to get up and move so that the body can fulfill its true potential.
So get up. Sprint. Climb. Jump, crawl and swim – Find a way to move that you love, and stick to it!
Wake Up, Sleepy Eyes!
Getting the amount of sleep you need with the quality you need is synonymous with feeling like the normal you.
We have all had sleepless nights or experienced difficulties when trying to do something taxing early in the morning, and we all know how that made us feel.
Sleeping well is vital for the way you perceive the world and therefore what emotion it incites in you.
This is why people that have chronic problems with sleep often have mood swings.
So try this:
- Go to bed at the same time
- Avoid eating heavy meals right before bed
- Avoid screentime in the last 1-2 hours before bed
- Create a bed routine
Eat Like Your Ancestors
If you’re not getting all the nourishment you need, you may experience negative changes in your mood.
This is why some people are cranky in the morning – lower blood sugar and caffeine withdrawal (if they drink coffee daily) can make a person easily irritable.
Malnourishment works in the same way but on a deeper level – food is the body’s fuel, and you can’t expect it to work properly if it doesn’t receive what it needs.
This is also why some digestive disorders are associated with mood swings (pssst, it’s all in the gut!)
Certainly, though, eating well nowadays is something very hard to do, mainly because we are constantly bombarded with ultra-processed foods.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean you can’t find food close to the natural quality that our hunter-gatherer ancestors had.
Here are 7 of our best-rated foods everyone should focus on:
- Grass-Fed beef
- Eggs From Pasture-Raised Chicken
- Wild-Caught Salmon & Other Seafood
- Dairy Products From Pasture-Raised Animals
- Root crops (carrots, potatoes, beetroot, etc.)
- Fruits & vegetables
- Nuts
Besides focusing on those, one should also avoid highly processed foods and if consumed, they must not represent more than 10-15% of an individual’s total daily food intake.
Just Ask Someone!
If you are worried that your mood swings are a sign of something deeper or just have trouble dealing with them easily, you should seek the advice of a therapist.
There, you will find the answers to all your questions and start working on a plan to keep your emotions in check.
Different types of therapy offer different solutions, and you will undoubtedly find one that suits your needs.
One of our top recommendations, though, is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), because this strongly relates to one’s perception about things, and this is precisely where the change is made!
Final Thoughts
Mood swings are a common problem for many people, especially in today’s fast-paced society.
This is exactly why you can find a lot of information about them and advice on dealing with the challenges they pose.
Although sometimes such seemingly random shifts in your emotions may seem scary or make you feel powerless, it’s crucial to remember that there is nothing you won’t learn to handle with time.
Start with small changes to your daily life and see where they take you and how they make you feel, and always know that you can get help the moment you feel you want to.
Stay balanced!
