A mood swing is a marked sudden change or shift in your mood or your emotional state. You may feel happy or elated this minute and then within the next minute, you find that you are angry or sad, for no apparent reason. You may burst out crying. or you may begin to scream at someone who really did not do anything to cause that angry outburst. This is because your hormones are “out of whack.”
When mood changes begin to affect your everyday life then you need to seek medical advice. Of course, there are some mood changes that definitely must be treated by your psychiatrist. For example, some people have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (manic –depressive disorder), depression or anxiety. Persons with bipolar disorder (either unusually elated or deeply depressed) usually take mood stabilizers; those with serious depression (major depression) will take antidepressants, and those with anxiety may be given anxiolytics (anti-anxiety meds); these need to be prescribed by the psychiatrist. Do not confuse mood changes from menopause with those mood disorders due to mental health issues. Of course, someone may have the potential to experience mood changes beyond the “normal” because of family history/undue stress from unrelated illness or situations in her life.
You may be one of the many women who experience mood swings during menopause. You may have been a calm, even-keeled individual before the changes begin to occur but suddenly you now find yourself unable to control your temper, or you just cannot understand why you are going through these unexpected mood swings. Hang in there; help is available. Here are some things that you may want to try.
– Make sure that you are getting enough sleep (you may need a herbal supplement to relax you or to even help you to sleep – these include herbal teas).
– Eat healthy foods, including vegetables and fruits.
– You may need to take a multivitamin as well.
– Be sure to drink adequate amounts of water on a daily basis to stay hydrated (dehydration will cause serious problems and will just compound the issues).
– Exercise (this could just be walking on a daily basis – be consistent).
– Visit your doctor to get appropriate medication (hormone replacement/ medication to calm or relax you or adjust your mood)
There are several products that are available in the health food stores. Just be sure to research products that are suggested and if you take medications or have medical issues, you will need to check with your doctor before taking anything.