How to Control Adversarial, Angry, Fearful & Abusive Mood Swings

From time to time, nearly everyone experiences an abrupt change in mood. If you're not accustomed to having angry or fearful mood swings, they will feel out-of-place to you and may pass without incident. For others, changes in mood can last all day long. Mood swings are caused by a number of factors. Some adversarial mood swings are originated in chemical or hormonal imbalances, while others don't necessarily start out that way but rather are a product of everyday stress. Regardless of their origin, controlling them, especially when mood changes become abusive, is an important factor in having successful relationships in all areas of life.

Instructions

• 1

  Assess what recent changes have occurred in your life. Especially if your mood swings are a new occurrence, simply making note of what has been triggering them lately may be all you need to control them. Keep a diary of when you notice your mood changes. Can you recognize a pattern? What self-monitoring strategies are you currently using to calm yourself down, if any? Following your moods and analyzing them gives you good data you can use to treat yourself or take to a professional if you continue to have trouble.

• 2

  Research the current literature to see what is working for others in controlling their mood swings. As with any condition, it's best to know what you're facing so you are armed with the best knowledge going forward. Researching helps give you strategies to cope as well as form questions for any practitioners you may see for help.

• 3

  Talk to your doctor about your mood swings. If you haven't visited any type of professional yet about your mood swings and they are becoming more disruptive to your life, start by discussing how you're feeling with your general practitioner. She may be able to give you enough strategies to help by herself or refer you to someone who can give you more assistance.

• 4

  Check into current therapies that are working to control mood swings. If you don't already have a professional counselor, sign up to see one, if only briefly. Discuss with her what's been going on in your life and how it's affecting you and your loved ones. Determine if any of the current therapies will be helpful to you. Some of these include cognitive, behavioral and talk therapies. Depending on how severe your mood swings are and their origin, you may only need to practice some self-maintenance or you may need to consider long-term strategies and even medication.