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It is common for all of us to experience changes in our moods throughout each day. Depending on the internal and external circumstances in our lives at the time, these changes might be positive or negative, helpful or maladaptive.
Everyone's mood shifts during the day. It may be time to reach out when your moods swing fast or hard enough to strain your relationships, work, sleep or sense of who you are.
Feeling up one moment and low the next
Small things setting off big reactions
Snapping at people you love, then feeling guilty
Moods that seem to come out of nowhere
Not knowing how you will feel when you wake up
Bursts of energy followed by days of feeling flat
Sleep or appetite that shifts with your mood
Loved ones walking on eggshells around you
How counselling helps
What working on it together looks likeHow counselling helps
Early on
Understand your patterns
You and your counsellor look at when your moods shift, what sets them off, and what your body and thoughts do just before a swing.
As you go
Ride the wave
Together you practise ways to pause before reacting, calm strong feelings and get through low days. This may include tools from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Over time
Build steadier days
You build routines for sleep, food and rest, repair strain in your relationships, and plan for the days when your moods are harder to manage.
Approaches
Therapies our counsellors use for mood swingsTherapies used
It is common for all of us to experience changes in our moods throughout each day. Depending on the internal and external circumstances in our lives at the time, these changes might be positive or negative, helpful or maladaptive. Sudden changes in our moods could actually be very valuable, as this might help us to adapt to the ever changing contexts of society and in our lives; however, when mood swings becomes intense, interrupt regular daily functioning, or contribute to urges to engage in risky behaviours, speaking with a mental health professional for assistance would be a beneficial choice.
What Are Mood Swings?
Simply put, mood swings are noticeable changes in our moods or emotional states. Neither are they anyone’s “fault” or is any one shift any better or worse than other. Shifts in our moods are a part of being human. These emotional changes are often discussed in mood swing counselling in Canada when they begin to affect daily functioning, relationships, or mental well-being.
What Causes Mood Swings?
Our moods are very susceptible to change. It is inevitable that our moods should fluctuate depending on both our internal and external circumstances. Whether it be due to fluctuations in hormone levels, an alteration in the dosage of a medication, the loss of a job or of a loved one, or starting a new job or at a new school, our moods shift in order to help us out. These factors are commonly addressed in professional mood swing therapy and emotional support counselling.
Medical or other psychiatric conditions could also be a primary cause of mood swings.
If the changes pose a danger or a risk to you or to someone else or if they get in the way of healthy daily routines or functioning, therapy for abrupt or intrusive changes in our moods could be beneficial.
How Do I Cope With Mood Swings?
Different strategies have proven to be helpful for some to the management of mood swings. Some of these include:
Keeping track of mood alterations. Noting the internal and external circumstances commonly associated with shifts in mood will help to notice patterns in the mood swings and could be a starting point for the development of coping strategies.
Journalling. Especially of daily moods and mood swings
Exercise. Releasing endorphins (natural pain killers) and natural sources of helpful neurotransmitters (like serotonin) by getting our hearts pumping in response to exercise (running, walking, cycling, dancing, etc.) could be very helpful.
Sleep. Maintaining a routine that allows for a good amount of restorative and restful sleep is of great importance for everyone. To be able to better manage our moods, it is especially important to ensure that fatigue or exhaustion do not cloud our ability to function.
Nutrition. Eating a healthy diet and getting good amounts of the nutrients we need is also generally important and especially so when we are attempting to learn about and effectively work with our mental states.
Social Support. Having others with whom you are comfortable speaking about and sharing your experience of mood swings and emotions is, in general, likely to help us feel less alone or isolated. No one is alone in feeling/experiencing troublesome or inexplicable shifts in their moods. These strategies are often included in CBT-based mood regulation counselling.
Does Therapy Work for Mood Swings?
Visiting with a mental health professional for recurrent and disruptive mood swings can definitely be a helpful and beneficial way to begin (or continue) managing the effects of mood swings. Help in developing new or more effective strategies for coping and dealing with the shifts in mood from an objective and empathetic counsellor is a step toward successfully managing shifts in mood. We can help!
You may want to talk to someone when your mood changes feel hard to control or start to cause problems. For example, you might lose your temper at work, pull away from friends, or feel worn out by the ups and downs. You do not need to wait until things feel serious. A counsellor can help you make sense of what is happening.
No, you do not need a diagnosis to start counselling. Mood swings can have many causes, such as stress, poor sleep, hormones, life changes or past hurts. Your counsellor works with what you notice and what you want to change. If you have questions about a health condition or medication, a doctor or nurse practitioner can help.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps you see the links between your thoughts, feelings and actions. With your counsellor, you learn to spot the thoughts that can turn a small upset into a big swing, and you try new ways to respond. The aim is to give you practical tools you can use in daily life, at your own pace.
Yes, you can meet your counsellor online from anywhere in BC, or in person in Burnaby, Langley or North Vancouver. Online sessions can be easier on days when your mood makes it hard to leave home. Our intake team suggests counsellors who fit what you need, your language, your budget and where you want to meet.
In the first session, your counsellor gets to know you and asks what brings you in. You might talk about when your moods change and how that affects your days and the people around you. You can share as much or as little as you like. If you want to ask questions first, we offer a free 15-minute consultation by phone or video.
