Dialectical Behavior Therapy CBT Originally developed for people with borderline personality disorder, DBT helps people who struggle with intense emotional vulnerability learn to identify and better cope with their emotions.

Some options include: Exercising regularly Eating a healthy, balanced diet Creating or improving a nightly sleep routine to help you get consistent sleep Learning different stress management techniques. According to the Mayo Clinic , these can include activities like yoga or journaling.

They include: Mood swings that come with thoughts of self-harm or suicide Mood swings that significantly interfere with daily life, work, or relationships Mood swings related to substance use or withdrawal could be signs treatment for addiction is needed.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration This U. Mental Health America Mental Health America is a nonprofit organization focused on mental health and wellness.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance This organization's mission is to connect people with depression or bipolar disorder and their loved ones with support groups and other helpful resources.

National Alliance on Mental Illness A leading grassroots mental health organization in the United States, the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI engages in advocacy efforts for improved public policy related to mental illness, hosts support groups across the country, and has a help line to connect people with free information and support for mental health issues.

Apps to Help Track Your Moods Moodfit This mood-tracking app is available on Android and Apple in both free and premium versions. eMoods eMoods allows you to track symptoms and moods associated with bipolar disorder, PTSD, depression, or anxiety disorders.

MoodKit MoodKit can help you learn CBT strategies that therapists use to help change unhealthy thoughts and better manage mood swings. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking. Resources Are Mood Swings Interfering With Your Life? UCLA Health. September 29, Mood Disorders.

Mayo Clinic. October 29, Hormones and Desire. American Psychological Association. March How Sleep Affects Your Health. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. June 15, Schwarz J et al. Mood Impairment Is Stronger in Young Than in Older Adults After Sleep Deprivation.

Journal of Sleep Research. Balbuena L et al. Mood Instability and Irritability as Core Symptoms of Major Depression: An Exploration Using Rasch Analysis.

Frontiers in Psychiatry. October 26, Seasonal Affective Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. Borderline Personality Disorder.

What Are Bipolar Disorders? American Psychiatric Association. January Stress Relievers: Tips to Tame Stress. August 3, Uguz F et al. Prevalence of Mood and Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy: A Case-Control Study With a Large Sample Size.

Psychiatry Research. February Chen CP et al. The Influence of Estrogen on Female Mood Changes. The Zurich study: II. The continuum from normal to pathological depressive mood swings. Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten.

Kendler KS, Eaves LJ, Loken EK, et al. The impact of environmental experiences on symptoms of anxiety and depression across the life span. Psychol Sci. Broome MR, Saunders KE, Harrison PJ, Marwaha S. Mood instability: significance, definition and measurement. Br J Psychiatry.

Penckofer S, Quinn L, Byrn M, Ferrans C, Miller M, Strange P. Does glycemic variability impact mood and quality of life? Diabetes Technol Ther. Bathla M, Singh M, Relan P. Prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among patients with hypothyroidism.

Indian J Endocrinol Metab. Sobanski E, Banaschewski T, Asherson P, et al. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. Cservenka A, Stroup ML, Etkin A, Nagel BJ. The effects of age, sex, and hormones on emotional conflict-related brain response during adolescence.

Brain Cogn. Cartwright C, Gibson K, Read J, Cowan O, Dehar T. Long-term antidepressant use: patient perspectives of benefits and adverse effects. Patient Prefer Adherence. Gitlin MJ. Antidepressants in bipolar depression: an enduring controversy. Int J Bipolar Disord.

The influence of estrogen on female mood changes. Chin Sci Bull. Schaffir J, Worly BL, Gur TL. Combined hormonal contraception and its effects on mood: a critical review.

Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. Bowen R, Peters E, Marwaha S, Baetz M, Balbuena L. Moods in clinical depression are more unstable than severe normal sadness.

Culpepper L. The diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder: decision-making in primary care. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. Biskin RS, Paris J. Diagnosing borderline personality disorder.

Busby E, Bold J, Fellows L, Rostami K. Mood disorders and gluten: It's not all in your mind! A systematic review with meta-analysis. Saghir Z, Syeda JN, Muhammad AS, Balla Abdalla TH. The amygdala, sleep debt, sleep deprivation, and the emotion of anger: a possible connection?

Bromberger J, Kravitz H, Chang Y, Cyranowski J, Brown C, Matthews K. Major depression during and after the menopausal transition: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation SWAN.

Psychol Med. Dodd AL, Mansell W, Morrison AP, Tai S. Extreme appraisals of internal states and bipolar symptoms: The Hypomanic Attitudes and Positive Predictions Inventory.

Psychol Assess. Keating N, Zeak N, Smith S. Pubertal hormones increase hippocampal expression of α4βδ GABAA receptors. Neurosci Lett. Maciejewski D, van Lier P, Branje S, Meeus W, Koot H. A 5-Year longitudinal study on mood variability across adolescence using daily diaries.

Child Dev. Poromaa I, Segebladh B. Self-monitoring is free and takes hardly any time. And it becomes easier as you make it part of your daily routine. Usually, a low mood goes away quite quickly and does not require treatment.

But, if your low moods are lasting for more than two weeks and you have felt sad, down or miserable most of the time or have lost interest in most of your usual activities, you could have depression External Link.

Make an appointment to talk to your GP about how you are feeling. If your low moods are fairly frequent and you do not have clinical depression External Link or any other clinically diagnosed mental health issue , you may like to consider therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy CBT or mindfulness.

CBT External Link involves looking at how you perceive events and how your thoughts about those events affect your mood. Mindfulness External Link is a popular approach to managing low mood, in which you maintain a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and environment.

You accept what comes without judgement. Other forms of counselling and psychological treatment are available. Discuss your options with your GP. Consult your GP before taking St John's wort or other complementary therapies, as they can interact with prescription medicines, alcohol and other drugs, and other complementary medicines to cause side effects.

Sometimes moodiness signals a serious medical condition known as a 'mood disorder'. There are two main types of mood disorder: bipolar disorder External Link previously known as manic depression and depressive disorders such as depression External Link , seasonal affective disorder and postnatal depression External Link.

Moodiness may also reflect substance abuse or a medical condition such as dementia or cardiac disease. Reacting negatively to life and having frequent bad moods doesn't necessarily mean you have a mood disorder or a serious health condition.

But, if your moods are making it hard for you to work, socialise or function, see a healthcare professional. If your moods are triggered by excessive worrying that seems difficult to control, you might have generalised anxiety disorder External Link. This disorder involves excessive and ongoing worry or anxiety about common issues such as family, money or work problems.

Sometimes it's not you but your friend or loved one who's experiencing low mood. At these times you may like to try doing some of the social activities listed above. Go to a movie together or have a lunch date, watch old movies or go for a run in the park.

If you're concerned your friend or loved one's low moods could be a sign of a mental health problem, make time to ask ' Are you okay? External Link ', and really listen to what they have to say.

SANE Australia has advice about how to respond to someone who tells you they're not okay External Link. This includes encouraging them to seek professional help. Mental health first aid is the help you give to someone developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.

You can give this first aid until the person has appropriate professional treatment or their crisis is resolved. While moods are common in children, sometimes their moodiness can be a sign of something more serious too. Talk to your children about how they are feeling.

If you're concerned there is something more serious going on, see a healthcare professional. Raising Children Network has some tips for communicating with young children External Link , and Headspace has advice for families about how to talk to young people about mental health External Link.

If your child would like to talk to someone else about how they are feeling, Kids Helpline External Link offers phone, email and webchat counselling services. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. The following services provide specialised healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria.

Asking for help when you first suspect you have an alcohol or drug problem is important. If you think you have an addiction, speak to your local doctor or phone DirectLine.

Learn all about alcohol - includes standard drink size, health risks and effects, how to keep track of your drinking, binge drinking, how long it takes to leave the body, tips to lower intake.