Overcoming Mood Swings by Jan Scott
Recently I’ve finished “Overcoming Mood Swings” and I want to put some highlights from the book here, it helps me to review what I learn and also could be helpful for those who want to read this. Overcoming Mood Swings self-help manual for those who have experienced mood swings or wants to know more about mood swings.
What is Mood?
Mood, thoughts and behavior can affect physical or biological processes in the body. Mood swings can have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life.
There is pattern for mood swings.
sleep–wake cycle, although blood pressure, body temperature, and many other biological functions also change in a precise and regular pattern over the course of a day.
mood disorders tend to show a consistent pattern of symptoms that occur together.
excessive, with very frequent ups and downs occurring over many years; extensive, marked changes of mood that last a long time; accompanied by associated changes, in your thoughts, the way you behave, and possibly in the biological systems that impact on day-to-day functioning; disruptive to lives, causing significant problems for the individual experiencing them and/or for others.
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) aims to help people identify and manage the causes and consequences of the cognitive behavioral cycle of mood disorder.
Many individuals have no idea that there is any predictable pattern to their mood shifts until they examine a life chart.
you can continue to use it to describe what happens to you from now on. Knowing what information has been useful in constructing your life chart so far will help you keep an accurate record of similar facts in future.
disorder? Is there any pattern to your mood swings? For example, do they occur at particular times of year, or following certain types of experience or activities?
Why we need to record our daily mood?
In most of the book suggest to record our mood every day, that can help us to find the pattern, root cause and finally know how we can prevent that. Here are some details for that part:
Many individuals are reluctant to put things down on paper, and believe they can do many of these exercises in their head.
We all experience different, sometimes intense, moods in reaction to day-to-day life events.
define ‘mood’ as a ‘state of mind’ or a ‘prevailing feeling or emotion’.
the most important aspect of that event is the thoughts you had about yourself in response to what happened, and how those thoughts influenced how you felt and how you behaved afterwards.
Developing your awareness of these processes and being able to record them will take time and practice.
This may be because in certain mood disorders (such as manic depression), mood changes may also result from internal changes in the body’s chemistry.
Mood is the term we use to describe feelings or emotions.
Why mood swings could impact our daily life?
There are a large number of neurotransmitters in the brain, but three of them – noradrenalin (also known as norepinephrin), serotonin, and dopamine – have repeatedly been shown to be abnormal in individuals with mood disorders.
person with well-developed problem-solving skills may be able to take the sting out of many potentially stressful experiences and prevent a vicious downward spiral into depression.
Automatic thoughts
unpredictable, frequently fluctuating but without obvious precipitants; uncontrollable, emotional responses that seem inappropriate reactions to events and are beyond your control; extreme, with moods always experienced as intense highs or lows.
In reality, we may have a general idea about what a person might think, but we do not have any special powers that let us know exactly what is going through their mind. However, this thinking error is very common and can cause distress. Examples of mind-reading error are: ‘She doesn’t like me,’ ‘He only said that to make me feel better.’
The term ‘cognitive’ is applied to automatic thoughts and underlying beliefs:
The content of the thoughts is determined by a person’s beliefs about themselves and their world. Unhelpful automatic thoughts demonstrate common patterns of cognitive distortion.
It is important to be able to distinguish between normal reactions and extreme or unhelpful emotional reactions.
Record your mood every day
For each type of mood swing, try to recall and write down the symptoms you experience. These will include the feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and alterations in your day-to-day functioning that you experience.
Through practice, you may be able to detect these symptoms quickly enough to take action to avoid an intense mood swing. Furthermore, any links between events, situations, or behavior and subsequent mood swings may then become apparent.
Be kind with yourself!
essential to give yourself positive feedback for anything you do when you feel so low. Try to avoid self-criticism or discounting your efforts. If you had broken your leg, you would not expect to be able to do everything you usually do.
How hobbies or interests help us?
Can you list any that you have? Can you record three things that you might enjoy doing? Can you list three things that you used to enjoy doing? Can you list three enjoyable activities that you always thought you might try in the future? If you talk to or observe other people, what activities do they engage in? Does the local library or community centre have any information on activities available in your area?
First, can you generate a list of the social contacts that you have previously enjoyed or that you think you might enjoy. Next, can you note the name of anyone who usually makes you feel good about yourself? Finally, has anyone actually contacted you recently to arrange a social activity?
note down exactly what you were doing when you noticed that your mood changed, then to record how depressed or anxious you felt on a 0 to 100 scale. If you describe in detail what you were doing, the time of day, where you were, who you were with, you may find it possible to recall what was going through your mind at that moment. If this is difficult, try closing your eyes and recreating the scene in your imagination.
If you are still struggling, think about what you would say to someone else if they asked for your views of the evidence for and against the idea.
Identity: What is the name given to my problem? Cause: What is known about the causes? Time-line: How long will this problem last? Will recur? Consequences: What is the impact of the problem on my life? Control: How can my problem be controlled?
experience fluctuations in our emotions, and it is not unusual for one’s mood to change several times over the course of a single day.
you experience mood swings or a mood disorder these emotional shifts need to be closely monitored, for two reasons: first, to understand better the events and thoughts that precipitate mood changes; second, to learn to distinguish between mood shifts that may be the forerunner of a major mood swing or an episode of mood disorder, and those that are within normal limits.
it is very important to include additional information to describe the boundaries between normal happiness and a ‘high’. Again for this exercise you will need to review your symptom checklist, and possibly your life chart too.
Common signs of a disorganized schedule are a large number of unfinished activities and the lack of any regular pattern to your days. You may also have relatively few high A ratings, suggesting that you don’t often feel a great sense of achievement.
exercise has a positive benefit on your mood and is known to be effective in reducing mild symptoms of depression.
you need to review how you spend the preceding hour or so before you go to bed. This is known as the ‘winding down’ time. This strategy of ‘recognize, record, review, and respond’
can actually distract you and give you temporary relief from your negative thoughts and feelings. Second, and most importantly, you will feel better sooner if you keep on doing the things that have made you feel better on previous occasions.
Control your action
try to increase your own control over your actions. The simple rule is: ‘Control what you can control, and don’t engage in behaviors that you can’t control.’
One of the important techniques he describes is the ‘48-hour delay rule’. He states that ‘If it’s a good idea today, it will still be a good idea tomorrow and a good idea the next day.’
problems arose in implementing your action plan? Can you or anyone else identify ways in which you could prevent or reduce these barriers next time?
No matter how many other factors play a role, shifting the responsibility to ‘the illness’, other people, mental health professionals, the hospital or the treatment, without exploring what you may be able to do to help yourself, is counterproductive.
The important aspect is to understand what you can control and what you cannot,
what has happened, and what you can do to improve your situation. The problems will not disappear if you ignore them.
is equally unhelpful to let any negative thoughtsgo around and around in your mind.
Try to take a problem-solving approach and focus on what you need to do about what happened.
How serious was the incident? Does my assessment concur with that of other people?
In the longer term (e.g. in six months, in six years), how important will this incident be? When I acted in that way, was I aware of the consequences?
If you don’t agree on the problem, you will never agree on the solution.
Be a good listener. Don’t interrupt people and don’t tell them they’re wrong. Remember they are expressing their opinions or feelings.
Try to stay calm. If you get angry, you may begin to use words you regret. Likewise, if you are very distressed, it is hard to come to a shared view of what to do next.
Having goal and check the progress
‘Is my goal realistic; is it achievable?’ The final question is: ‘How will I measure my progress?’
Once you have identified a specific, realistic, and achievable goal and know how you will measure your progress, you next need to establish the steps required to achieve this goal and then to set an appropriate time-frame.
set a specific time to start working on the first step toward your goal, and note the cues that will keep you on track and focused.
giving up is not a helpful approach, no matter how strong your wish to stop trying. Dealing with any negative thoughts and feelings is particularly important, as this may clarify what the real issues are and allow you to work out what steps you need to take next.