How To Manage Emotional Imbalance

Emotional ups and downs can occur at any time, causing discomfort. But it is possible to handle them with simple techniques.

Have you ever felt cheerful and optimistic but one day your mood drops significantly?

Or can't you control your emotional reactions at certain times? Almost as if you have two personalities, each with feelings and reactions that are at odds with each other. This can bring problems and misunderstandings in your interpersonal, work and even family relationships.

We must remember that emotions help us generate interactions with people, communicate and express ourselves as the situation warrants. Therefore, if we find ourselves in a situation that we enjoy, it fills us with joy. While if something seems wrong to us, we can show anger or disagreement. But can you imagine that you cannot express the correct emotions for each moment or the change between one and the other?

We know this in psychology as emotional imbalance and it can happen to anyone . Therefore, in this article we will tell you everything about what this imbalance is about, how to recognize it and what you can do to control it effectively.

What is an emotional imbalance?

Also known as instability or emotional ups and downs, it is an alteration in the change of the emotional state of people or an emotional variation, showing itself especially on humor, which can go from one state to its opposite pole immediately. That is, to be happy and in a short time, to feel extreme melancholy, without an apparent reason that triggers it .

Why is this happening? Because the dynamism of emotions becomes too intense for the body itself and can no longer keep it in balance or manage it in a functional way. Producing an emotional discomfort in the face of any minimal change, to an alteration in the quality of relationships in the different spheres of the person's lives and even triggering future serious psychological problems such as depression or anxiety .

How to recognize if I suffer from emotional ups and downs?

People who suffer from emotional disturbances can be clearly seen in their abrupt and sudden changes in mood, but also because of other characteristics that we will tell you about below.

1. Tendency to idealization

This is a characteristic that is shown in people with certain degrees of emotional dependence on others, that is, they must always be with a partner because they do not tolerate loneliness because they feel empty . Which leads to an idealization both of the other person who is next to her, and of the life of her own that she will have with him or the life together.

The problem is that these idealizations are extremely romantic and perfect, so when something happens that does not match their imagination, it is a cause of conflict and disappointment.

2. Dichotomous extremists

It is yes or no, black or white , there are no intermediate points between these people, which leads them to have serious communication and relationship problems with others, they have a low tolerance for frustration, they do not know how to resolve conflicts and they do not tend to think about the consequences that their actions can bring. They show extremely intense behaviors and attitudes between mania, aggressiveness and sadness.

3. Affective lability

This is essentially the drastic change from one mood to another suddenly . Which can be produced by a psychological alteration of mood or in the production of hormones and neurotransmitters responsible for emotional balance. In more severe cases, this may be a symptom of some type of psychiatric disorder or a psychotic episode.

4. Other personality disorders

In some cases, emotional imbalance is part of the symptomatology of one of the personality disorders , such as borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, impulse control disorder, depression or anxiety.

Ways in which these sudden changes affect us

Many tend to normalize these serious mood swings, stating that they are 'part of human nature'. However, maladjustment and the possibility of triggering other disorders make it a wake-up call to attend to before it's too late.

1. Self-esteem and independence

As people with affective disorders have tendencies towards emotional dependency, they have problems living with themselves . Which causes them not to develop independence to face the world on their own, they cling to safe or known things and manage through manipulation.

But they also tend to have very low self-esteem, for the same reason as the emotional emptiness they feel internally. Which leads them to experience risky behaviors or to have repetitive attitudes that make them feel better.

2. Personal growth problems

Due to the previous point, people do not trust their own abilities and skills or the possibility of developing them to use them in their favor to grow in areas of their lives, such as professional or work. They can also be due to fear of change and their communication problems and inability to solve problems.

The same thing happens when you have the desire to undertake new things, in states of emotion and joy, motivation flows and everything can prosper. But instantly falling into the emotions of sadness and insecurity , ideas are discarded or the fear of failure is generated. Remaining only unfinished projects unfinished.

3. Impossibility of enjoyment

During states of euphoria, those who exhibit emotional instability are in a state of contagious optimism and celebration . While in melancholic states people can completely isolate themselves from the world, they present an apathy and irritability that prevents them from enjoying absolutely nothing. Which affects not only them, but the people around them, since they can also be involved.

4. Global interactions

Both it is your personal sphere, as well as in the obligatory labor, academic and social communications of courtesy. People with emotional instability can interfere in conflicts between colleagues or people in authority, costing their future in these areas. Well, they can fall into dismissals, expulsions or family estrangements.

5. Inability to separate development areas

With this we refer to the fact that, if the person has a personal problem that generates emotional discomfort, it can decrease their work motivation or academic performance and the same can happen in reverse. This is because people cannot separate the problems they have in one sphere from another in which they don't, but mix them all together as one.

Keys to manage them

It is important to know how to read the signs, because this does not happen from one moment to another and there are circumstances that trigger these discomforts with greater intensity. Once done, it's time to act.

1. Acknowledge that you have a problem

The first step you must take is to recognize that you have a problem that is affecting your life and that if you do not do something about it to remedy it, it could get seriously complicated and without effective return. Both on the part of your affective and mental health, and in the quality of interpersonal relationships in your daily routine.

2. Attend psychotherapy

The most effective treatment to control emotional instability is to attend psychological therapy where you can discover the origin of these changes and if there are situations that cause it. So that you can have tools and techniques to avoid them, solve conflicts, increase your self-esteem and achieve a balance in your emotional reactions.

You can also try group therapy, where you share your emotions and situation with other people who are going through the same thing and practice with them to improve your channels of communication and social interaction.

3. Find moments to relax

Many of the emotional disturbances arise from the pressure and stress of not being able to face or solve something, which causes anxiety and self-doubt. So it is ideal, look for relaxing activities that help reduce mental and physical tension.

Such as reading practices, yoga, meditation, short walks, dynamic sports or leisure activities. Their purpose is to help clear your mind and reduce negative emotions.

4. Learn new things

Learning a new skill through extracurricular activities or courses can help you gain self-confidence. Discovering that you are capable of acquiring new abilities expands creativity, observation, mental agility and self-esteem, which is beneficial for mood regulation.

5. No Corridors

In the most negative and melancholic episodes it is normal for you to want to be alone, but this can be counterproductive because it is precisely in loneliness where negative and self-destructive thoughts appear most uncontrollably, as well as feelings of hopelessness. Instead, find a friend or family member, ask them out to distract you, and vent to them about what's bothering you.

6. Identify situations

As you could read before, these emotional changes do not occur in a surprising or sudden way, but rather they show up little by little until you unconsciously transform it into a part of yourself. Once you come to therapy and are taught how to identify triggers, take a moment to analyze it and walk away or figure out the best way to respond when faced with it in the future.

The important thing is that you have the ability to predict, act and resolve your moments of predisposition without negative consequences occurring.

7. Have a healthy lifestyle

The way we eat and the rhythm of daily life have a direct impact on our state of mind. For example, if we eat fatty and heavy foods for the body, we tend to feel more tired, low mood and greater sensitivity to stress, since there are no healthy nutrients that can be transformed into energy.

While, if we opt for a sedentary lifestyle, the body feels more stiff, sore and tense in daily activities. That is why it is important to make an evaluation of diet and physical activity, to change it for one that helps our body.

8. Do not force other emotions

The idea is not to change one emotion for another so that it is completely eliminated and you will never feel it again. But express it properly, at the right times, but above all not to be controlled by them. So, if you feel sadness you can feel it, if you are happy show it, if you are angry look for a way to release it that does not affect others or yourself.

9. Train your assertiveness

You can look for courses where they teach you to communicate assertively and thus improve your channels of expression with people. This will benefit you in any area of ​​your life, it will prevent conflicts or misunderstandings from being generated, you will be able to solve problems in a respectful way and offer your opinion without getting out of control.

10. Learn about their cause

It is possible that this emotional lack of control is the product of a more alarming psychological illness, so it is necessary that you attend a psychological consultation and ask to evaluate this possibility. Especially if the symptoms presented are too extreme or have serious consequences for your life. If it is detected in time, you will be able to enjoy your life without major complications.

Taking care of our mood is an important step for our own comprehensive health and our quality of life.