how to control mood swings: a guide from a not-so-expert

hello! welcome back to maggie’s doodles 💕 today i’m continuing my series on cycles!

the other posts i’ve written on this topic so far were pms 101 and 5 things i would tell my younger self about my cycle. 🌺

the subject for today is: controlling mood swings! shiny787 requested i write about it, so thank you! 😍

in this post, i’ve shared an assortment of questions you can ask yourself, along with mindset shifts to test out as you work on controlling your mood swings.

the key word here is control.

we are going to have highs and lows emotionally- that’s inevitable. it’s what we do during those times that changes everything! 💗

at first i wasn’t sure if i was qualified to talk about mood swings, much less control them 🤣 however~ i have been working SUPER hard to get behind the psychology of hormonal drops! and i’ve found different ways that help me get through the lowest points in my month. i really hope i can encourage you today!

let’s get right into it! 😍

how to control mood swings:
a guide from a not-so-expert

Do you have focused stress or unfocused stress? //

this is one of the BEST tools i’ve started using to unlock my mood swings! when i’m not hormonal, i have focused stress: i know which things in my life need to be worked on and i’m having an overall appropriate response to them. but when i’m hormonal, my stress is unfocused: there’s a general air of sadness, anger, irritation, or impatience.

it leaks into any area of my life i may find upsetting, and i can’t really pin down what the problem is.

the problem is less serotonin and estrogen, leading to less endorphins (happiness)!

so when i’m able to see that hormones is what’s wrong, not actually my life, it helps me figure out what’s going on.

i wouldn’t say i necessarily feel better after that, because i’m still going through hormonal changes. but it does help me to quit blowing up, melting down, or feeling confused. it’s one of the first steps in the right direction!

Ask yourself: is what I’m upset about a new problem, or something I’ve already been dealing with? //

answering this question is a very helpful indicator of my hormonal state! i’m not able to tell if my response to something is disproportionate if it’s a new situation. but it’s very easy to see what’s going on if an old/ongoing problem is suddenly too much to bear, even if everything was fine the day before.

do you ever get frustrated at your frustration? i sure do lol! i have to calm myself down and not be upset that something’s rubbing me the wrong way. when i’m able to, i back away from the irritation, because if i think about it, if i haven’t solved the issue / inconvenience yet, what makes me think i’ll be able to in a hormonal whirlpool? 🌀 just saying haha

so one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself (and others!) is to go, i’ll come back to this later. you’re acknowledging how you’re feeling without delving into it. focus on what you can fix, do, and accomplish today! which actually leads into my next point:

Go into maintenance mode as fast as you can 😂 //

i find that decision-making, creating something new, and doing anything that takes clarity and concentration get very challenging (or impossible) when i’m hormonal. so i’ll put a pause on various things and get as comfy as i can!

i go easy on myself and make adjustments. even though i’d love to be go-go-go all the time, being 100% productive and reaching goals every day, there are times when i need more quiet.

pausing my goals is disappointing, but it isn’t attainable to try to go after them when my mental health can’t!

you’re gonna help yourself a lot by learning what you’re capable of at various points in the month 💖

i can’t express how happy i am to be working on controlling my mood swings! it takes a lot of focus and dedication, because they’re often sudden and intense. but it’s really helping me emotionally and mentally to make this progress 💖

thank you so much for reading! i hope you’re enjoying this series 🥰

what should i write about
next for this series?