Mood Swings

[Heather]

Has anyone dealt with big mood swings? and if so have you found anything that helps you? A few weeks ago I finished some schooling that lasted four and a half years. I felt great for a couple of weeks and then I swung into a depression, I became scared of what it would be like for me to work on the field I have studied for, how will others, coworkers and managers would treat me with the learning challenges I deal with. I did a search and came up with this web page;

Managing ADHD Mood Swings and Symptoms

I feel like I am mostly back on my feet now,but I wanted to see if others there have learned to deal with mood swings and how they did it.

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[Scattybird]

Hello Heather,

I have mood swings but fewer than when I was younger. I am guessing that you’re still young.

I used to find that hormonal cycles affected my moods and it was horrible at the time but I got to know what the cause was. I used to try to avoid people as much as possible at those times and if I couldn’t then I tried to be careful with what I said. At that time I was grumpy, but would get depressed if I said something hurtful because I’d feel sorry.

Now I am at an age where hormones don’t play havoc in the same way and my moods are less variable. However occasionally I hit a ‘downer’ that can last for a couple of weeks. These don’t happen often but they scare me when they drag on. Again I try to avoid people so I don’t offend anyone, but actually being with people and treating yourself can be the best thing to do. I try to think and talk positively which isn’t easy when depressed. Also, I am sure that B vitamins and magnesium help. But just being nice to myself, watching DVDS with lots of chocolate helps. If I do that for long enough I realise there is more to life and my mood lifts. A good long walk somewhere beautiful is also good.

If you suffer from anxiety in a worrying way then please talk to your doctor. Don’t get too down and not ask for help.

After I finished college I was scared about working in the field I studied. Generally when you start work people will help you find your feet. I used a notebook to make sure I wrote everything down so I didn’t forget stuff. Don’t be frightened to ask people how to do things – or even ask for a mentor to help you settle in. Many places have mentor schemes. It’s normal to be anxious about a new role, how you’ll fit in and stuff. I made mistakes and screwed up but I realise now that all new people do. You just need to make sure you learn from them. I also found doing the job I trained for much easier than other jobs that I did a ‘fillers’ when most of the time I hadn’t a clue what was going on, nor did I have any aptitude for them. Believe in yourself. 🙂

 

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[Scattybird]

Ps – just looked at the link you posted. Regular sleep and good food are always helpful. 🙂

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[Patte Rosebank]

@Heather, @Scattybird is right.

I’d add that maybe it’s not a mood-swing, but the perfectly normal come-down that comes to everyone at the end of a big project or phase of life.

After the excitement of completing it, comes the grieving that it’s over…followed by the uncertainty of “What do I do now?”

I’ve gone through it whenever a show or film I’ve worked on has ended, and even when some big projects I’d worked on as an office temp. were finally implemented.

In every case, there was a big wrap-party to celebrate finishing…and lift our spirits before the inevitable come-down. Kind of like the way Irish people throw a wild party (wake) in honour of the deceased, before the funeral.

 

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[blackdog]

@Heather

Oh yes, I have mood swings. For all of the above reasons -hormones, comming down at the conclusion of something, anxiety and uncertainty about the future- and also for no particular reason at all. I’ll be going along fine, having a great day, until suddenly I’m not. A sudden wave of sadness will wash over me and I just want to sit down and cry or crawl into bed and stay there. Then sometimes the opposite will happen and I’ll suddenly become giddy and start giggling for no apearant reason.

Most of the time I am sort of emotionally flat. But I thnink that comes from long years of suppressing my mood swings and attempting to appear normal.

I have also had several periods of major depression and anxiety so bad that I could not leave the house.

I can’t add much to the advice that @Scattybird and @Larynxa already gave you, except to say find what works for you. Everyone is different. I tend to go more towards the dark side, because that’s just who I am and it works for me. I like dark and depressing things. So, for example, where most people would choose to watch a comedy or romance, something light and inspiring, I would probably go with Mad Max, or some other post-apocalyptic end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it type of thing.

As for the anxiety over starting your new career, that is perfectly normal, but you are probably experiencing it a little more intensely than most people would. You have left your comfort zone, the world you knew, and you are venturing out into the unknown. It’s scary. And it makes you want to crawl back into your shell where you know you will be safe. And, if you are like me, you will come up with any excuse you can.

Here’s what I have learned: Worrying about it will not solve anything. It is a useless waste of time and energy. You cannot predict the future, no matter how hard you try. And believe me, I’ve tried. But the fact is you can’t know what will happen until you get there. It is possible that you will have trouble doing the job and that other people won’t like you or will treat you badly. But it’s also possible that you will do great and the other people will be understanding and friendly. A lot of it depends on the work environment. Some are just better than others.

The only person you have control over is you. And as long as you do the best job you can then you have nothing to feel bad about. If you struggle because of your learning challenges and your employer/coworkers react negatively, that is not your fault, it’s theirs.  And remember, you aren’t stuck there forever. If the first place you try isn’t a good fit, maybe the next one will be. There is nothing wrong with changing jobs until you find the right one.

Many years ago, when I was looking for work, a friend pushed me to apply for a job i wasn’t sure about and I said “But what if they fire me?”. And he replied “So what? That’s their problem, not yours”.

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[Heather]

Thank you all for your replies.

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[firefox]

I have mood swings too. Yes it’s hormone related / cycle related . Your hormones are effected by lack of sleep , exposure to plastics , poor diet, lack of exercise, high stress . As women age and their human growth hormones don’t produce as much as they use to… It can effect us mentally and physically .   I get physical pain more when I am going through PMS… Brain fog , joint and muscle pain in my jaw , shoulder , hip, and foot.   The pain added to my pre existing irritability from the bloating , constipation,  word recall difficulty and sleep problems.

 

Yoga … Hot or regular …. Helps  a lot to manage you pain , helps with breathing technique to be calm.

even though I eat a plant based diet, don’t drink more than a cup of coffee a day , drink green tea, make sure I am properly hydrated.  I am still moody.

so is it my thyroid ?

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

I would check with a doctor about the Thyroid issue. That requires some blood work to see what your levels are at.

Mood swings are huge with ADHD. Or they can be for some folks.

When you understand that your mood is the result of your thoughts, in other words how you feel at this moment is the result of what you know, or believe, or are expecting at the moment… and then you have a mind that races from one thought to another, often jumping to the worst possible conclusion… you can see why our emotions can be so up and down.

I know I can go from calm and collected to worried, to downright terrified about something that might happen… all in a matter of seconds.

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