Mood can be impacted by many variables. In this blog post, we will highlight some of these variables, ways to improve mood regulation, and explore mental health therapies that can be beneficial to supporting recovery. Finally, see how working with a therapist for mood disorders can support you!
What Variables Impact Mood Dysregulation?
An individual’s mood dysregulation can stem from many factors. Some of these may be:
- Past traumatic experiences
- Growing up in a chaotic household
- Parental figures with dysregulated mood/nervous system(s)
- Exposure to or use of substances
- Trauma during utero
Trauma experienced during childhood can impact brain development and attachment patterns throughout life. Trauma can also destabilize the nervous system, and if not shown how to re-regulate, can lead challenges later in life – to include mood dysregualtion. A destabilized nervous system is a common factor to mood dysregulation.
One of the biggest ways to regulate the nervous systems is through co-regulation. This occurs between person-to-person where one person’s nervous system, through neuroception, can restabilize another individual’s nervous system.
Children’s nervous systems are very susceptible to attachment patterns, affection, or lack thereof while growing up. This timeframe is when we develop the internal capacity to regulate mood and the nervous system.
Exposure to substances or trauma while in utero can also destabilize a baby’s nervous system and affect natural developmental timelines. These variables can then impact the person’s ability to regulate mood later in life.
 How to Regulate Mood Fluctuations
Many skills can be utilized to assist with mood regulation. These include:
- Mindfulness practices
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Exercise
- Building in routines for sleep, eating, and work/life balance
What Mental Health Therapies Are Beneficial for Targeting Mood Dysregulation?
Working with an individual therapist for mood disorders can support learning new and creative ways to regulate mood. As noted, above, sometimes a person’s dysregulated mood is caused from nervous system dysregulation and an inability to effectively regulate the nervous system. A trauma therapist will work with someone to first gain and increase awareness related to the nervous system, feel safe in one’s body, and learn effective ways to regulate the nervous system. Methods to regulate the nervous system can be some of the same as noted above, and more. Additional ways to regulate the nervous system include:
- Find cues of safety in the environment
- Leaving situations that feel destabilizing
- Guided imagery to create a sense of safety or support
- Somatic resourcing
- Discharging energy from past trauma stored in the nervous system through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
Individual Therapist Near Cherry Creek
Mood and nervous system dysregulation can create havoc in life. Find the benefits of navigating life with a regulated mood and nervous system. Click here to start your healing journey or call us at 720.295.6703.
