10 TIPS TO REDUCE MOOD SWINGS..

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10 TIPS TO REDUCE MOOD SWINGS.. 1. Daily Exercise Routine – Incorporating just 15 minutes a day of exercise into your day can help to stabilize moods and ward away depression. Take

a walk during your lunch hour, exercise while watching TV at night or

start your day a few minutes earlier in order to begin each day with a

short exercise routine.2. Eat Right – Eating healthy is always a good idea, but keeping on a healthy diet can greatly soothe the ups and downs of mood swings.3. Create a Daily Routine – Get up at the same time each morning, go to bed at the same time. Creating

a routine can keep your mind and body on a more even keel, even on the

weekends, when it is more desirable to spend longer in bed. Keeping your body on a schedule can help to keep the moods more stable. Eat meals at the same time each day.4. Find Time for Yourself to Relax – Spending just a few minutes every one to two hours in a state of relaxation can help your mind to slow down. Some

people find that just a few minutes of meditation every few hours helps

to stabilize their racing thoughts and keeps their moods more even. 5. Schedule Your Time – Creating a schedule for yourself can help to remind you to do the small things that help mood swings. The more detailed your schedule is the better. If you find that music helps you to get moving in the morning, then incorporate that into your schedule. This way, you won't forget to include the soothing or invigorating items that help you move along your schedule. 6. Evaluate Your Current Habits – Determine if you are creating more extreme moods by your current habits. For

example, if you are depressed, do you listen to slow depressing music,

allowing yourself to go deeper into depression, or if you are in an

"up" mood, do you listen to more of the high energy music, allowing

your mood to soar uncontrollably. Try to change your activities to even your moods, rather than exacerbate them.7. Chart Your Moods – Keep track of when you are "up" and when you are "down" to see if there is a set pattern. Do you typically go "down" in the middle of the afternoon and then go back "up" at a certain time. Understanding the pattern of your moods can help you change your behaviors to stabilize your moods. 8. Plan Your Day According To Your Moods – Use the information from your mood chart to plan your day. If you find that you are "up" at a certain time each day, plan your day for high energy activities during that time.9. Set Goals – Setting goals can help keep you on track and help you to work through the ups and downs. Even

if your goals are as simple as "I will get the dishes done in 10

minutes" they can help you stay focused on the task and not allow moods

to disrupt your activities. 10. Chart Your Medication – If

you are currently taking medication, chart your medication as well as

your moods so that you can see if there is a correlation between the

two. Discuss the results with your doctor to see if your medication needs to be adjusted or changed. Up

one moment and down the next, feeling elated for a time and then

suddenly feeling irritated, sometimes for no apparent reason. These quickly changing emotions are considered to be "mood swings" and according to the Wender Utah Criteria for Adult ADD, mood swings are one characteristic of Adult ADD. Although

it is true that most people experience a number of moods on any given

day, Adults with ADD seem to swing from mood to mood with more

frequency and more intensity. Their moods may change from elation to depression within the span of a few minutes. Adults

with ADD often talk about the periods of time in which they feel highly

energized, completing projects that have sat for weeks or months,

coming up with creative ideas and plans and sleeping less.These periods of time can be followed by periods of tiredness and "fogginess". Although for some, these periods can last for days or weeks, for others the moods change several times a day. For

some, the mood swings of ADD work within their lives, they may have

jobs that benefit from the energized "moods" and creative ideas that

often come from them. Or their family life might be able to

withstand the ups and downs, allowing them to accomplish what they need

to during their "up" times and slow down during the "down" times. But,

mood swings, depending on the severity, can interfere with daily life,

create tensions in the family and cause problems at work. Finding creative solutions to working and living with mood swings is possible. Sometimes ADHD medication helps to control the mood swings, allowing emotions to become more stable. Sometimes,

behavior modification techniques will benefit individuals and therapy

has also helped others to cope with the ups and downs. Tips for Controlling Mood Swings How Mood Swings Can Differ from Bipolar Disorder Article last updated 2/28/06. click here for LINKLove~All~Ways*~Karma*