Welcome to Exan's Wellness and Life Skills Program

Understanding Moods

5 tips to help you better understand your moods

  1. Learn the difference between a mood and an emotion. Moods refer to a general emotional state that can be positive (a "good" or "high" mood), normal or negative (a "bad" or "low" mood). Like emotions, negative moods often stem from difficult or hurtful events. The difference is that a mood lasts longer and is less definable than an emotion evoked by a specific psychological trigger.
  2. Understand how hormonal changes and exercise can influence mood. As any parent of a teenager can tell you, hormonal changes such as puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause often spark sudden, dramatic fluctuations in mood. Exercise, too, releases a cascade of hormones. But instead of prompting a person's mood to swing wildly, vigorous physical activity generally helps to improve and stabilize it.
  3. Avoid eating foods that adversely affect your mood. Certain foods can alter the brain's chemistry, resulting in mood swings. The biggest culprit is processed carbohydrates in the form of sugary and refined foods. These temporarily produce the calming neurochemical serotonin but also elevate insulin levels, which are implicated in depression. The healthier your diet, the better your chances of staying in a good mood.
  4. Seek out more light if you find yourself becoming moodier in the fall and winter. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a condition characterized by recurrent episodes of depression -- usually in late fall and winter -- alternating with periods of normal or high moods the rest of the year. If you find your mood subtly changing with the seasons, try increasing the light in your surroundings and spending more time outdoors. If your depressive symptoms are more pronounced, consult a mental-health professional.
  5. If your moods are wreaking havoc with your life, seek treatment. Mood or affective disorders are mental disorders that severely affect mood. The two primary mood disorders are major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Others include dysthymia, post-partum depression and schizoaffective disorder. Without proper treatment, these conditions can significantly impair judgment, behavior and interpersonal relationships. If you think you may have a mood disorder, seek professional help.