Emotional imbalance: what is it and how can we manage it?

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

Or are you unable to control your emotional reactions at certain times? Almost as if you have two personalities, each with feelings and reactions that are out of tune with each other. This can bring problems and misunderstandings in your interpersonal, work and even family relationships.

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We must remember that emotions help us to 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. Whereas if something seems wrong, 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 affective state of people or an emotional variation, showing especially about humor, which can go from one state to its opposite pole in a immediate. Namely, be happy and in a short time, feel extreme melancholy, without an apparent reason that triggers it.

Why is this happening? Because the dynamism of the emotions becomes too intense for the organism itself and it can no longer keep it in balance or handle it in a functional way. Producing a mental discomfort before any minimal change, an alteration of the quality of relationships in the different spheres of the person's lives and even triggering future serious psychological problems What 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 sudden and sudden changes in mood, but also by other characteristics that we will tell you below.

1. Tendency to idealization

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

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

2. Dichotomous Extremists

It's 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, have a low tolerance for frustration, do not know how to resolve conflicts and do not tend to think about the consequences that their actions can to bring. They show extremely intense behaviors and attitudes between mania, aggressiveness and sadness.

3. Affective lability

This is in essence, 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 can be a symptom of some type of psychiatric disorder or a psychotic episode.

4. Other personality disorders

In some cases, the emotional imbalance it is part of the symptoms of some of the personality disorders, as is the case with borderline or borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, impulse control, depression or anxiety disorders.

Ways these sudden changes affect us

Many tend to normalize these serious mood swings, claiming they are "part of human nature." However, the maladjustment and the possibility of triggering other disorders, make it a wake-up call to heed before it is too late.

1. Self-esteem and independence

As people with affective disorders have tendencies towards emotional dependence, have problems living with themselves. What causes that they do not develop independence to face the world by themselves, they cling to safe or known things and are managed through manipulation.

But they also tend to have very low self-esteem, for the same reason of 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 develop them to use them to your advantage to grow in areas of your life, such as professional or labor. They can also be from fear of change and from their communication problems and inability to solve problems.

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

3. Impossibility of enjoyment

During states of euphoria, those with emotional instability are in a state of contagious optimism and celebration. While in melancholic states people can completely isolate themselves from the world, they exhibit apathy and irritability that prevents them from enjoying anything at all. Which affects not only them, but the people around them, since they can also be involved.

4. Global interactions

As much it is his personal sphere, as in the obligatory labor, academic and social communications of courtesy. People with emotional instability can meddle in conflicts between peers or people of authority, costing him his future in these areas. Well, they can fall into layoffs, expulsions or family estrangements.

5. Inability to separate development areas

With this we mean that, if the person has a personal problem that causes discomfort mood, it can lower your work motivation or academic performance and the same can happen to the reverse. This is because, people cannot separate the problems they have in one sphere from another in which they do not have it, but they mix all of them as one.

Keys to handle them

It is important to know how to read the signs, as this does not happen from one moment to the next and there are circumstances that trigger these discomforts with greater intensity. Once done, it is 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 can be seriously complicated and without effective return. Both on the part of your emotional and mental health, as well as on 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 them. 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 that go through the same thing and practice with them to improve your communication and interaction channels Social.

3. Find moments to relax

Many of the emotional changes arise from the pressure and stress of not being able to face or solve something, which causes anxiety and mistrust in ourselves. So it is ideal, seek relaxing activities that help reduce mental and physical tension.

Such as reading practices, yoga, meditation, short walks, dynamic sports or leisure activities. The purpose of them 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 confidence in yourself. Discovering that you are capable of acquiring new abilities enhances creativity, observation, mental alertness, and self-esteem, which is beneficial for mood regulation.

5. Do not isolate yourself

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

6. Identify the situations

As you could read previously, these emotional changes do not occur in a surprising or sudden, but they show up little by little until you transform it into part of you in a unconscious. Once you go to therapy and are taught how to identify triggers, take a time to analyze it and walk away or find the best way to respond when faced with it in a future.

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

7. Have a healthy lifestyle

The way we eat and the rhythm of daily life directly affects our state of mind. For example, if we eat fatty foods that are heavy for the body, we tend to feel more tired, a spirited low 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, painful and tense when facing daily activities. For this reason, it is important to make an evaluation of diet and physical activity, to change it for one that helps our body.

8. Don't 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 to express it in an appropriate way, at the right moments, but above all not to be controlled by them. So, if you feel sad you can feel it, if you are happy, show it, if you are angry, find a way to release it that does not affect others or you.

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. Which 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 losing control.

10. Find out about its 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 that possibility. Especially if the symptoms presented are too extreme or have serious consequences for your life. If it is detected in time, you can enjoy your life without major complications.

Taking care of your state of mind is an important step for your overall health and our quality of life.