[garden gal]

The past few days, I've been having these mood swings that are making me feel a little crazy. I was feeling pretty good for a few days, and had some energy in the area of expanding my social circle... I so reached out to a few people that I don't usually hang out with, and invited them to get a cup of coffee or go for a walk. Yesterday afternoon, I was even feeling like the fog in my life had lifted, and I had a clearer picture of long range goals and what I needed to do to get there (rather than just surviving day-to-day like I usually do.) But last night, my mood just crashed. I hadn't heard back from 2 of the 3 people I had reached out to and was feeling like I had been blown off, and like there must be something wrong with me... and was feeling blown off by my best friend at the same time. (She had invited me to do something today, but then canceled our plans with a rather cold sounding e-mail.) Today, I'm still feeling pretty blah and low energy, and am unfortunately about to head in to work, which is a difficult place to be, even on a good day.

Does anyone else out there have these mood swings, when you are feeling good at one moment, and then downright awful a few hours later? How do you deal with them?

[REINE D AMOUR]

yesssssss,sure but always with reason ,like something hapened that i couldn t accept .

[shezbut]

(((garden gal)))

Yes, I have those dang mood swings They are maddening!

The trick, for me, has been to put more positive activities in my days. This keeps me leaning more towards the positive side of life ~ rather than my old "usual" (negative). My big help in those negative dark times is to put my energy into exercise. Put on my iPod, go to the Y, and work all of my anger & energy out there. I have workout videos, but they don't work nearly as well for me. Walking out in nature is also a wonderful relief for me. Nature almost always brings me peace & puts me in a better state of mind. Sometimes, I can't muster up the energy (when I'm low in the funk) to go. Then I bake something, cut it up into small pieces and put it out for others to enjoy. (I live in an apartment building)

Gentle hugs to you gal ~ you're in my thoughts!

[SophiaG]

If at first you dont suceed in a coffee date...try try again.

[Gently1]

(((garden gal))
When your joy and anticipation has returned best to restrain the long range planning, (says she who has anxiety)(anxiety worry about the future)

Enjoy the moment, expand one friend at time, even if you have to call 10.

Recently like you, I started reaching out, and while it was great to get in touch with long lost contacts, it was hard to cancel when my energy dropped. For me I find that keeping an even schedule even if I feel 'good' reduces the extremes- you say crashes - I say flare-ups. For me the energy has its own pattern or cycle separte from moods.

And I am not a machine sometimes flare-ups just happen, and that is when friends at PC make the most difference.

take care,

[justfloating]

((((((((((garden gal)))))))))))

Yes! I get mood swings like that all the time. Although 90% of the time I'm feeling all right, the smallest things can set me off and leave me in a funk for hours or even days. Then, just as inexplicably, my mood will lift again.

Are you on meds? Mine have led to some wonky moods for a couple of reasons over the years. If you've just started something new or are coming off of something you've been on, your mood will fluctuate as your body gets used to it. The other possibility is that this is your body telling you that your meds are taking you on the right track, and maybe an increase or addition of a secondary medication will further your progress (this was what ended up happening for me). Either way, it'd be a good idea to tell your doctor and/or therapist (if you have one) about this.

What I have found it good to do is make some kind of record of my good days. Go for a walk and take pictures of everything you find beautiful, write a journal entry describing EXACTLY how you're feeling, do a craft or bake or tackle some chores you hadn't felt like doing before. That way, if/when my mood dips, I have some kind of tangible reminder that depression is not a permanent state of being. Depression makes me forget what it feels like to NOT be depressed, to feel anything else at all. With depression we often lose sight of the fact that this is not a permanent thing, that this is just one state we're in but that we CAN feel different, feel BETTER than we're feeling right now. It helps me get through the bad days by showing me there is light at the end of the tunnel, that it's possible for my depression to lift, that I don't have to live thinking the misery is all I'm capable of feeling. If I have something solid to look at to remind me of those good days -- some writing, pictures, progress on a project, whatever -- it's even better.

Some day's my mood swings so many times I get dizzy. The triggers can be internal or external. It's great that you have a job. At this point getting employment no longer seems like a realistic goal.