Emotional instability: going from crying to laughing

Yesterday you loved poetry and today you hate it. Last year you felt motivated to exercise and as soon as this year started you already stopped going to the gym. You laugh in wrong situations or cry without understanding why. Perhaps these are some signs that indicate that you suffer from emotional instability.

If you go from crying to laughter, from passion to indifference and from love to hate in the blink of an eye, maybe you need to understand your feelings a little better. and sensations and find a healthy balance between them. On the other hand, you may be suffering from a disorder that should be diagnosed by a professional. We analyze it.

Emotional instability: the typical ups and downs

It is true that not every day we can feel the same way and that, fortunately, we have various mechanisms to express what happens to us. But The problem lies in the magnitude of the variation of our emotional states, when they are abrupt and for no apparent reason.

The ups and downs in our mood for no reason and with more intensity than we wish can be detrimental to our mental health. and for the relationship with others. Living on a permanent roller coaster of emotions does not allow us to preserve our emotions nor understand what is happening to us.

Emotions vs. cheer up

In order to better understand emotional instability or imbalance, first We would have to know how to differentiate between emotions and moods. Below you have each one separately:

Emotions are intense and variable and appear as a reaction to a stimulus., whether external (like a traffic jam when we are in a hurry) or internal, like a memory. That is, without a certain situation they cannot develop. A traffic jam causes anger, a love letter causes happiness, and a loss brings sadness. On the contrary, mood is usually more stable over time. It can remain stable, even for weeks, since it is deeper and can be determined by a multitude of factors, from lifestyle to the state of the nervous system.

When a person is emotionally unstable, their mood varies frequently. This problem can be caused by a specific circumstance – such as fatigue, low self-esteem or lack of goals – but it can also be due to a cause that we do not know how to explain. One way or another, if our mood is negative, it needs our intervention.

How do I know if I suffer from emotional instability?

It is worth thinking and analyzing how you feel throughout the day. It is normal that you start the morning with energy and a good mood and when the afternoon arrives you are low on “battery” and irritable. But we are talking about something different. Throughout the day do you experience many downturns or mood changes but you cannot understand the reasons for such a big change?

In these cases, you may be suffering from a clinical syndrome. The symptoms that should give you a sign of this are the following:

Euphoria and sadness that alternate for no apparent reason. Low tolerance for frustration. Insecurity. Impulsiveness. Difficulty leaving problems in the area to which they belong (work, family, friendship, etc.). Feeling of inner emptiness. Emotional dependence on people who consider fundamental pillars in their life. Emotional lability. Tendency towards addictions. Little consistency when advancing in tasks, objectives and relationships. Tendency to fall in love.

If you think you suffer from these symptoms and could be suffering from a related disorder, do not hesitate to go to a professional. You may need psychological therapy, but don’t fear: it’s okay to ask for help and it will greatly improve your quality of life.

Why can emotional instability occur?

The factors that determine this disorder are variable. However, among the most common we can highlight changes in metabolism and biorhythm, problems with concentration and sleep, and also the consumption of certain harmful substances.

However, In the vast majority of cases, stress and leading an unbalanced lifestyle cause all kinds of instabilities, including the emotional one, of course. The hormones responsible for balancing our emotions, such as serotonin, are not at adequate levels and wreak havoc.

For this reason it is not strange that Emotional instability is more common in women than in men. Because? Because female hormonal variations are greater than male ones. In addition, they are subjected to greater social pressures and difficulties in their daily lives, which promotes emotional instability.

Other causes

It’s not all hormones and accelerated rhythms. Sometimes, other factors have something to say when it comes to explaining your mood swings:

Drug use. States of dissociation after trauma. Borderline personality disorder. ADHD. Post-traumatic stress. Overprotective educational style.

The consequences of emotional instability

Going from crying to laughing can seem like a strength to overcome problems and get out of any situation successfully. Although in reality emotional instability is a very heavy burden of not being able to find a solid base of feelings on which to base projects.

Leaving a career, breaking up a relationship, or not accepting a change at work causes frustration and sadness. Overreacting to the words and actions of others, as well as not knowing how to behave in certain situations, can lead to cutting ties with close people.

All of this affects self-esteem, intensifies mood swings and leads to the formation of a vicious circle from which it is difficult to get out. That is why it is necessary to pay attention to those ups and downs in mood. Maybe you are going through a difficult time and need to talk about it with someone, or at least with yourself.

Treatment of instability in therapy

In a clinical context, therapeutic techniques to improve emotional instability usually last over time, since it is a difficult (but not impossible) condition to change.

TOSome of the therapies used are EMDR, EFT, braispotting or the focusing. If you know anything about them, you will know that they are usually included in psychotherapy to treat trauma, but precisely for this reason they are useful for processing and managing intense emotions.

On the other hand, in some cases pharmacological support is prescribed if necessary.. In these cases, there is also medical support and medicines such as antidepressants.

How to achieve greater emotional stability?

Finally, this entire process of self-knowledge will lead you to the next question: how can I improve? The truth is that there is no magic formula, but there are some Strategies to follow to start the path of change:

Train in relaxation and breathing techniques. Work on self-esteem. Acquire interpersonal communication strategies. Work on problem-solving strategies. Work on frustration tolerance. Train in stopping and making interpretations about the environment more flexible. Practice meditation in any of the its variants.Perform physical exercise on a regular basis.If the environment favors mood swings and is stressful, consider changing to a better one.

Even so, you may not be able to improve. In these cases, it is best to consult a psychology professional. Don’t feel bad about asking for help, because emotional instability is a limiting and very complex state that you don’t have to deal with alone.

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