Ask a therapist > Stress > Why do I have such bad and consistent mood swings?

Why do I have such bad and consistent mood swings?

Friends and family have pointed out that my mood swings are bad and can change in a second. I don’t even notice most times. or sometimes I’ll notice a while after and feel extreme guilt, particularly if I had a random angry outburst. Other times, it’s just a random burst of energy, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. I can go from crying and being deeply depressed to singing and laughing in minutes. It’s confusing and I never realised how much it affected others until I noticed a friend of mine was warning people of my mood swings before they met me, or when people would ask what type of person I am they would say “it depends on what mood she’s in”.

Asked by alexis

Stress

Answered

10/27/2022

I appreciate you reaching out for help, that is a step in the right direction.

There are a lot of things that could be going on, so here are a few questions that I would start by asking yourself, or even starting to pay better attention to these things.

Is my mood triggered by something specific?
Do I have self awareness of what my moods are like when they are similar to how those around me describe them?
Do I have any positive ways to manage my mood?
Who is part of my support system that can help me learn more about these things and help keep me accountable?

Any time we have a shift in moods, it is important to try to ask ourselves if we can identify what triggers it. It could be a person, a place, a job, a home, a song....really anything. If you notice something specific, a therapist or person you trust may be able to help you learn and identify coping skill that you can put in to place for those times when this trigger is present.

The other thing I can encourage you to do is to pay attention to how this comes out. What kind of "symptoms" are you experiencing? How is this effecting your life and what areas does it manifest in most commonly?

I can also only encourage you to speak with a doctor or, if you can, a therapist who can help you narrow down symptoms and potentially talk with you about a diagnosis so you can determine a good course of treatment for you. It appears that your moods are rapid cycling between feeling depressed to feeling more manic in short amounts of time. It will be important for you educate yourself on what is all going on so you can learn skills to utilize that will apply to your situation. I can also recommend that when you find yourself in the more "high" episodes, that you learn ways that you can self soothe to help potentially limit some of the impact that it has on you and those you are in relationships with.

I truly wish you all the best on this road to discover these areas in which I am confident you can excel in!

Angie DeWaard

LPC, LCPC