I Suffer From Constant Mood Swings
I never knew what sort of mood I’d be in when I woke up. Everything could be going fine for me, but I’d be in a terrible mood. On the other hand, I could be dealing with one problem after the other, and I’d be perfectly cheerful.
Quite by chance, very good chance, I met this psychiatrist at a function I had to attend. I almost ducked out of it, but I’m very glad I didn’t. He was a very pleasant, approachable man, and I asked whether I could have some free advice. He said he’d be delighted to help, so I asked him why I suffered from constant mood swings.
He told me that it could be blood sugar or my hormones going a bit wild, and he asked me how long this moodiness had been going on. I told him really as long as I could remember. He told me that dealing with stress over a long period would cause moodiness and unless something was done about it, then it would become a habit. But you can change your mood so that it’s much better and evens out. But it’s like anything else you want. You must work for it.
He told me that too many people simply accepted their moods, that there was no way to change them so they might as well accept them. Well this isn’t the case. Knowing what mood you’re in helps considerably. Are you angry? Do you feel someone has insulted you? Pretending you don’t feel angry or insulted does you no good at all.
Take it a stage further, though. Why are you angry? Be specific. I’m angry because that woman was unpleasant to my wife. Fine. Just because she was unpleasant to your wife, doesn’t mean you have to clip your son round the ear! He hasn’t done anything. So contain your anger. You’re angry at one specific person. Don’t take it out on other people.
Unfortunately, there are people who always seem angry or sad. This is because they’ve just allowed a mood to overcome them, without bothering to quell it or do something about it.
A psychologist at Stanford University, professor Zajong, asked himself that why, when we become emotional, do we change our facial expressions? Imagine you’re crying or very angry. Apparently, the differences are caused by the way the blood flows to your face for one thing, but also to your brain.
When we’re deep in thought, we tend to frown, which drives the blood from the face to the brain, thereby helping concentration. The other thing he discovered was that different facial expressions can alter the temperature of the brain. This, really, is the answer to the question as to why different expressions can make you feel better or worse.
Our brains heat up when we frown, because we narrow our nostrils, and don’t feel so good. On the other hand, if we smile or say the letter ‘E’, this cools the brain and we feel better. I’d suggest you retire to the bathroom to do the smiling exercise, which should take about thirty seconds.
It could be misinterpreted!