In this contemporary world, there is a lot of pressure on women to be good mothers, possess successful careers, be perfect wives and responsible for household chores. Women struggle to balance their obligations ranging from family, work and personal life. Mood swings are very common in women. A minute ago she could be sweet and happy but the next minute she turns to the extreme of being depressed, frustrated and angry, without any particular reason. Some major causes of mood swings in women are hormonal changes, chemical imbalance, depression and stress.
Hormones are essential responsible for all our emotions and hormone imbalances occur during and after pregnancy, during menstrual cycles, approaching (which can take several years) and at menopause. A woman's sex hormone, named estrogen, is made up of estradiol, estrone and estriol; vary during these times, triggering mood swings. Existence of pain and discomfort make the situation worse and unbearable in many women. Teenage girls first experience mood swings at puberty when their bodies are introduced to various sex hormones, usually affected during the Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), a week before the period. Anxiety is the most common symptom of PMS and also occurs during post-childbirth and perimenopause. Some other symptoms include panic attacks, nervousness, sweating and intense fear.
The severe drop in hormones after childbirth can be dramatic and cause physical symptoms of depression or anxiety, if not handled properly may lead to postpartum complications. Perimenopause is the period of time when the body is approaching menopause. It may last from two to ten years. During this period of time, the menstrual cycle becomes irregular owing to hormonal fluctuation, causes women to experience symptoms of hot flashes, insomnia, sweating and rapid heartbeat. Under surgical menopause (hysterectomy) condition, women experience perimenopausal symptoms after the surgery due to the sudden decrease of hormones. For non-surgical menopause circumstances, menopause occurs after a woman does not experience period for a consecutive 12-month and that most women feel better due to the fact that the hormone level has stabilised. In a healthy woman, the post-menopause hormone output drops to 30% of the pre-menopause levels which is sufficient to keep the woman happy.
Hormonal changes cause physical and psychological stress and trigger the "fight or flight" response. The "fight or flight" response is the body's inborn, self-protective response against perceived danger. This is due to the release of cortisol, adrenaline and other brain chemicals. These reactions are harmless but as our minds go through unproductive thoughts may convert these responses to anxiety.
Depression also causes mood swings and in particular bipolar depression which is characterised by a sudden extreme mood change from manic depression to severe depression. Some obvious signs are withdrawal, fatigue, loss or gain of appetite.
Stress is one main cause of mood swings. It comes from any directions in the environment and it can affect moods severely leading to crying and depression. Work, family especially marital problems, single parenthood and ageing are major family related stressors in women. Chemical imbalance release of the brain chemicals called neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, causes stress in women. These inhibitory or excitatory neurotransmitters released by the brain are responsible for emotions such as happiness, depression, anxiety and fear and they affect your hormone levels as well.
Other reasons of stress in women are unhealthy lifestyle habits including consumption of drugs, alcohol, smoking and lack of exercise. Stress can prematurely age your body, cause health conditions and on top of those symptoms faced during hormonal changes, stress can cause the body to increase in respiration, accumulate toxins like carbon dioxide and lactates and cause gastro intestinal disorders including ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, heartburn and stomach upset.
If you are the person experiencing the mood swings and cannot prevent them, then you can try to be sensitive to keep in a relatively calm facade. It is then important for you to identify and manage the stressors and seek help to rectify them. You can vent to a close friend who you know will understand your situation. Crying is an alternative method to release your grouches. Distract yourself by listening to music, watching movies or sleeping. If others are experiencing mood swings, you can help by lending your helpful listening ears to them. Avoid offering solutions but instead give reassurance and sympathy.
Incorporating a healthy lifestyle will be beneficial in treating mood swings. Our body is not built to take the kind of stress that we put on it physically, mentally or emotionally. Exercise is one of the best prescriptions for stress and physical stress reduction. Exercises such as swimming, brisk walking, meditation, yoga, aerobics, kickboxing, dancing, acupuncture, aromatherapy or laughter therapy help to alleviate our stress level. Diet also plays an important role; by incorporating more vitamins and minerals in our diet reduce stress.
There are long term solutions to mood swings and a doctor may recommend that you use antidepressants or other mood enhancing drugs for depression and other psychological conditions. However, there could be many negative side effects on the use of addictive drug treatments. A safer and more effective solution is to use psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy, hypnotherapy, stress management therapy, talk therapy, natural hormone supplementation therapy and psycho-nutritional therapy.
Your consultant is able to measure your neurotransmitters prior to recommending the specific psycho nutrients that are specific for your requirements. You will be taught to recognise the negative thoughts in your mind that could be the causes of your mood swings, and replace them with positive affirmations. You will be taught with various anti-stress coping techniques.
We have all done it at one time or another, allocated our time to work, our families, and everything else but ourselves. So women, it is time to make time for you, for yourself! Spend time doing something that is just for you, on a regular basis. When you successfully resolve your internal conflicts and the unhelpful thought patterns that contribute to them, you will be free from stress and mood swings.
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