How I deal with mood swings.

by T.R.
(Lancaster, OH)

I have found mood swings can ruin a whole week. You are having a great week and then it takes one bad moment and everything falls apart. Depression or anger starts to take over your mood and it ruins everything. You do something stupid and feel bad afterwards. It is a vicious cycle and I have found a few ways to deal with the problems. Remember mental disorders have more than one contributing factor. One needs to try to keep mind, body, social, and spiritual balance.

One way is watch your diet. Eat healthy foods and take some vitamins. I take fish oil and B complex with a big glass of orange juice or milk. Avoid a lot of junk foods and sweets. However, sometimes I eat dark chocolate with a cup of coffee (because of the antioxidants, but beware of too much). Mashed potatoes and whole grain pastas are great. Berries, bananas, and other fruits have a lot of B vitamins and other vitamins. I make a big bowl of oats in the morning. Fish and seafood is good too.

Avoid too much caffeine or sugars. It all depends on your body and your symptoms.

Exercise is very important. Cardio and weight lifting is great. Get active to get your blood flowing. On a stressful day take a hot shower or bath. If a sauna or steam room is available use them and bring plenty of water. Eat something healthy after working out.

Be careful of who you hang out with because some people may contribute to your stress. Find people that keep you positive and do not make you feel bad about yourself. Also make sure these people are people you can turn to and that show you respect. Just because you have a disorder, it does not make you less of a person. You deserve to be treated well by others so do not let people walk all over you. Dogs are great friends because they are always there and give you unconditional love.

I also pray and meditate a lot. I do yoga which is great. Church is a good place to get rid of guilt and extra grief. Church is also sometimes a good place to meet positive people. If you are not religious find another way to fill this void and bring balance to this part of your life.

Also go to your counseling and try to share things that make you stressed or bring on attacks/episodes/mood swings. Take time for yourself and go see nature. Fresh air is great. Read a book to escape and take breaks from work often. Avoid drugs and alcohol!!!

These are some simple things you can do that have worked for me.