“Wow, what a bad mood, huh?”, is a question that almost everyone has heard in their life, isn't it? After all, everyone has had bad days, scowled, or gave someone a nasty reply. But anyway, what is a bad mood?
A bad mood is not a disease, so there is no symptom that defines it. Bad moods, like sadness and happiness, are sensations, emotions and feelings, so they affect each person in a different way.
What is humor?
To better understand what this state is, let's understand, in general, what humor is. The word “humor” is derived from the Latin “humore”, which means “liquid”. In common sense, it is a person's state of mind; if she's in a good mood, she's excited/happy/cheerful, but if she's in a bad mood, she's angry/sad/disheartened. According to psychology, humor is an individual's state of mind and its intensity represents the person's degree of disposition and psychological and emotional well-being.
Is bad mood a disease?
But can bad mood be a disease? Yes, you can, but first let's talk about the bad mood that is not pathological.
At all times, we deal with two interferences: the external world (the events of life, our work, our love relationship, our family and friendship relationships, studies, etc.) and the internal world (our thoughts, our feelings, our emotions , our reflections, etc.). These two worlds affect us at all times, so they can be the cause of our good or bad mood.
Do you remember a time when you were very discouraged or sad, but that changed when you met someone very important to you, ate your favorite food, internally resolved a hurt or sadness, or did very well on a test? You must also remember a day when you woke up excited, but everything went wrong, with hundreds of problems at work, fights with the person you love, arguments with friends, sudden feelings of sadness…
Anyway, everything can affect our mood, from distant and small things, like the positive result of a football match of our team, or realizing, in the middle of the shower, that the shampoo has run out and there is no other left, so we are always susceptible to mood swings, which can last minutes, hours, days, weeks and so on.
To analyze your bad mood, you need to know your personality deeply. Some people are more irritable or melancholy by nature, so that doesn't mean they're in a bad mood, just that these are personality traits.
Symptoms of bad mood
Below are some of the most common symptoms of a bad mood, check them out:
• Increase or loss of appetite.
• Social isolation and feelings of loneliness.
• Low self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Absence or exaggeration of hours of sleep.
• Discouragement and lack of motivation.
• Negative thoughts.
• Sadness.
The consequences of bad mood
According to a study published in 2014 in a scientific journal of the American Cardiology Association (AHA), individuals with high levels of stress and who reported constant and frequent bad moods are more likely to suffer strokes and transient ischemic attacks, problems that usually precede a stroke.
Bad mood and dysthymia
In the past, "dysthymia" (which comes from the Greek and literally means "bad mood") was a term used to classify people who were always angry or discouraged, but today it is used to classify a subtype of depression. Unlike the most common depressive episodes, in which feelings of sadness are more intense, negative emotions, in a dysthymia situation, are less “strong”, but much longer lasting.
The main difference between dysthymia and chronic depression is their duration. Most psychologists and psychiatrists diagnose dysthymia when symptoms last for at least two years, with depressive symptoms appearing from time to time. When these conditions subside, dysthymic individuals return to their normal mood, which is always below what is considered normal for those who do not suffer from this disease.
The symptoms of dysthymia are the same as those mentioned above in the topic “Symptoms of bad mood”, with the addition that, as mentioned above, the symptoms are usually quite long-lasting.
The causes of dysthymia are still mysterious, but the main studies point to hereditary and genetic reasons, in addition to trauma or troubled living in the first years of life. Unlike bad mood, which is usually caused by unpleasant situations, thoughts and feelings, the causes of dysthymia are much more biological.
As with some types of depression, there is no definitive cure for dysthymia, but the patient can learn to live with and manage their symptoms. Psychotherapy is essential for the treatment and control of the disease and the use of antidepressants, obviously prescribed by a psychiatrist, can help to combat the symptoms and increase the quality of life.
If left untreated, dysthymia can have very negative consequences. Studies by the WHO (World Health Organization) indicate that between 15% and 20% of dysthymic people will attempt suicide throughout their lives, so it is essential to seek psychological and, if necessary, psychiatric help.
Tips to fight bad mood
If your case is not clinical, that is, you are not facing a depressive or dysthymic condition, which requires clinical treatment and psychotherapy, we have separated some tips so that your routine becomes lighter and you can escape the symptoms and negative consequences of the disease. Bad mood! Take a look:
1. Take a nap: Most negative feelings disappear after a good night's rest, as we wake up relaxed and refreshed. If you can't actually sleep when you're in a bad mood, risk a nap, even 10 or 15 minutes, to wake up refreshed and more willing to deal with what caused the bad mood.
2. Exercise: Exercise releases endorphins and creates a feeling of well-being. If you are not a regular gym goer and don't like these environments, go for a walk or a run, even if short, because they can help your day. If possible, practice team sports, which are also good opportunities for interaction. Another tip: instead of waiting for the bad mood to arrive, add exercise to your routine.
3. Have sex: yes. This tip can't always be followed easily, but if you have a steady partner, reveal your bad mood to him and try to create a climate for relaxing sex. If you're not in a relationship and aren't in the mood for casual relationships, masturbation is a great option for reaching an orgasm, which releases serotonin and makes you feel more relaxed.
4. Feel useful: performing and completing small tasks is a very practical, quick and useful mechanism to combat bad moods. When you are immersed in problems and negative feelings, small tasks such as washing dishes, cleaning and organizing the house or crossing that old to-do list are great solutions to promote a sense of well-being.
5. Spend time with your pet: Playing with your dog or petting your cat produces instant well-being, doesn't it? In addition to making you more relaxed, happier and not worrying so much about what bothers you, it strengthens your relationship with your pet and also makes him happy and relaxed.
6. Eat a food you love: on a difficult day, nothing fairer than throwing your diet away and eating that ice cream or eating that chocolate out of the box to feel a little better. If you're the type who feels relaxed and happy when cooking, why not prepare your favorite dish?
7. A little bit of meditation: Meditation has become a cliché when it comes to spirituality and relaxation. If you are knowledgeable and practitioner of meditation, this topic may not even serve you, because you are already used to the practice. For non-practitioners, we'll demystify meditation: forget that word, sit or lie down in a comfortable position, focus on pushing away all thoughts, whether positive or negative, and stay focused on your breath; feel it and listen to it calmly, without haste. By doing this for a while, focusing on the now, the negative feelings and troublesome thought flow will subside.
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8. Allow yourself a little bad mood, after all: when you end a relationship, for example, there is always a friend who doesn't understand our grief and tries to lift us "off the ground" insistently, without understanding our sadness and letting us "enjoy ” a little that feeling. That's too bad, because if we're sad, we really need to give that sadness a little voice before we leave it behind. If you're stressed, then, use the same "technique": allow yourself to sulk for a while, whether it's 10 or 15 minutes or even 1 hour, but then leave all that behind and start finding activities that do. feel better.
Regardless of what your mood is and what caused it, these small, simple activities and attitudes can change your day or a cloudy moment you're going through. Taking care of yourself is the first step to living a lighter life. If your bad mood lasts longer than it should, however, seek psychotherapeutic help to understand what is happening and how it is possible to combat this illness that is affecting your life and that can be quite serious.
