mood swings and how it affects plans and projects

[Sab]

I’m having pretty intense mood swings lately and they are really hard to handle. It’s hard for me to make longer-term plans and sustain my enthusiasm and drive about projects when from one week to the other my perception of things can change drastically, and my ability to get out of my home and to socialize too. I’m trying to be more mindful of what I can do to stabilize my moods and energy levels but it can be frustrating when I feel like I’m already doing everything I can. I guess maybe I should focus on being more accepting of the ups and downs. I just find it hard when it changes from one week or day to the other. It’s easier to adapt when it’s for longer periods of time. It’s hard when I get to access joy and feel more confident for a little while to come back to low self-esteem and feeling stuck. I guess it makes the moments of joy more special and enjoyable, but I can’t help from feeling pretty sad and frustrated right now.

 

[Mattymatt]

Hi @Sab. I would recommend that you seek some professional help. I say this out of kindness. This could be indicative of several different things and there is medicine to help with this. I know the medicines I take help with this. I have a mental illness which pretty much requires me to take medicine and I am definitely not happy about having to do so but I function so much better. I am able to concentrate for longer periods of time; I just function so much better over all.

 

[Fino]

I had the same problem and adapted to it by never making commitments to anything. Now, with medication, I can.

 

[Voltaic]

for me, mood swings are bound to happen. i try to plan everything out with the knowledge of possibly having one. being prepared is a helpful strategy.

being able to sense when a mood swing is going to happen before it does has been a literal life saver. there are tell tale signs before i have one, pointing to possibly having one, you might have them too. being able to take action to prevent it happening before it does, or possible neggative outcomes of s mood swing has also been helpful

best of luck

 

[Major Tom]

I go through a lot of ups and downs myself. The only thing that helps me are meds and trying to keep busy( especially my mind), but body is a bonus too. Good luck!

 

[Sab]

Hi @Sab. I would recommend that you seek some professional help. I say this out of kindness. This could be indicative of several different things and there is medicine to help with this. I know the medicines I take help with this. I have a mental illness which pretty much requires me to take medicine and I am definitely not happy about having to do so but I function so much better. I am able to concentrate for longer periods of time; I just function so much better over all.

Thanks for your advice Mattymatt. Right now, I'm trying a natural approach to my mental illness issues but I'm definetely open to trying medication at some point if it can give me a stability to be able to build the things I want. Two of my closest friends started taking meditation recently and seem to be seeing positive effects, as many people on this forum has.

 

[Sab]

for me, mood swings are bound to happen. i try to plan everything out with the knowledge of possibly having one. being prepared is a helpful strategy.

being able to sense when a mood swing is going to happen before it does has been a literal life saver. there are tell tale signs before i have one, pointing to possibly having one, you might have them too. being able to take action to prevent it happening before it does, or possible neggative outcomes of s mood swing has also been helpful

best of luck

Hey Voltaic, I'm curious what those signs are for you that your mood might change suddenly? Do you feel like sharing? I am more aware now of the things that might contribute to having poor mental health a particular day (certain foods, bad sleep, sensory/emotional overload). I also noticed that feeling very good often ends up in me feeling quite anxious. But I feel like it's mostly in anticipation of feeling low again. Like committing to things, being able to see further ahead can make me anxious because I fear that I might not be able to do those things.

 

[Mattymatt]

@Sab I can understand your wanting to seek natureopathic alternatives. I admit that I am somewhat jaded in that respect because I had this forced upon me by my father and they never worked. The key is seeing a good psychiatrist. Finding a good psychiatrist is like finding a needle in the mental health haystack. The one I am seeing now has unimpeachable ethics and believes in prescribing the least amount of medicine possible. She is cross-trained in metabolic and endocrine medicine as well as psychiatry because she believes that these two systems are very much intertwined. I had to go through an untold number of doctors before I found the one that I am seeing now. Whichever route you decide, I wish you the best.

 

[Gracey]

Sometimes (not always) I bring my thoughts back on to task,
Rather than focus on my moods. If I’m only thinking, and worrying about what’s about to happen concerning mood,
I get myself stuck in thought loops - which will amplify my worries, thus changing mood.

There’s no question that meds can stabilise mood.
Feeling on an even keel can make dealing with other things easier.

Mine is a personal choice.
Sort of an experiment, if you will.
Just to see if I can

 

[BlueSky Aozora]

for me, mood swings are bound to happen. i try to plan everything out with the knowledge of possibly having one. being prepared is a helpful strategy.

being able to sense when a mood swing is going to happen before it does has been a literal life saver. there are tell tale signs before i have one, pointing to possibly having one, you might have them too. being able to take action to prevent it happening before it does, or possible neggative outcomes of s mood swing has also been helpful

best of luck

Thanks for the informative post and useful advice.
How do you make plans with other people, when they ask you to help them with a quite difficult task for you, on a date that you know you always get tired and just want to have a rest? How do you prepare for the possible mood swings during executing the plan?