My mood swings are making it hard to trust how I feel
One day I can feel certain that I need to make a big change, and then a day or two later I’m wondering why I felt so strongly about it. It’s not just major decisions either. Even my feelings about people, plans, and everyday problems can shift so much that I start questioning which version of me is being honest.
The frustrating part is that the emotions feel completely real while they’re happening. I don’t know how to tell whether I’m finally seeing things clearly or just reacting to a temporary mood. I’ve started writing things down, but reading it back later can make me feel even more confused.
How do you figure out whether a feeling is something to act on or something to wait out?
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Angela, the part about every emotion feeling completely real is difficult. I’ve learned not to dismiss the feeling, but I do try to delay major decisions until I’ve slept and had a calmer day.
One small thing that helps me is writing down the feeling, what triggered it, and what action I want to take. If the same concern still makes sense after a few days, I take it more seriously. If it changes quickly, I treat it as information rather than a final decision.
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@Matthew_Beck, treating a changing feeling as information instead of a final decision makes a lot of sense. I tend to panic when my reaction shifts, like it means one of the feelings must have been fake, but maybe it’s more about noticing patterns over time.
I’ve started putting a note in my phone before responding to someone when I’m upset. One time I waited until the next morning to send a message, and it came out much less harsh than the version I wrote that night.
@Matthew_Beck, I like the distinction between taking the feeling seriously and treating it like a final decision. I’ve gotten into trouble when I assume that feeling strongly means I need to act immediately.
The trigger and the action I want to take can be pretty revealing too. Sometimes the trigger is small, but my mind jumps straight to ending a friendship or making some other big change. Waiting a couple days gives me a chance to see if there’s an actual pattern there, or if I was just overwhelmed in that moment.