I haven’t written a post in a while because I haven’t come up with any topics to write about until now.

Do all people exhibit manic behavior? Are all people moody? I think so…..

What is manic behavior? According to the Cleveland Clinic manic behavior is defined as changes in emotional behavior that has different levels of severity. They range from mild mood swings to severe bi-polar mental illness that require medication. I’m not going to discuss the severe types of manic behavior just the ones that are less severe but are still very real.

Since I have pretty big mood swings I have learned some self help tools that have helped me from cascading down a dark hole of anxiousness. This has been a learned skill set that takes time to understand and execute. I don’t think I will ever master it completely but by just getting older and experiencing a lot of ups and downs has helped immensely get through those trying times.

The Good Times:

The best thing about having some degree of manic behavior are the euphoric moments. They can occur from time to time for various reasons. Each person has their own set of circumstances that trigger these “highs”. Mine include gardening on a beautiful spring day, standing out in a trout stream in Colorado, playing golf with my buddies, going to listen to music with my wife, to jumping on the trampoline with my granddaughter. It’s a hard feeling to describe. To me it feels like a swell of euphoria that keeps on building and building inside of me. I savior that feeling because I have learned it will soon pass. It’s the upside of having some manic traits which I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

The Darker Times:

It’s much harder to pinpoint what circumstances trigger an episode of a heightened level of anxiety. There are some common ones that affect most people including myself. They can be job related, partner related, or family related. Sometimes they just come out of the “blue” for no reason. Those are ones that are so maddening. Why do they happen? I don’t know why. It doesn’t really matter why I am that way I just knew that I needed to figure out a way to get out of that “funk” as quickly as possible because it drags down everyone and everything around me. I still don’t always practice what I preach when it comes to this area but these four tools have helped me quite a bit.

Four Tools For Feeling Better Quicker:

There is no “secret sauce “ to snapping out of a anxious chapter in one’s life. Obviously everyone is different. I still struggle with this still. I can only give you the things that at time have worked for me and I hope they are helpful for you.

1. Self awareness and Communication: This one for me has been the most beneficial. Just being aware that you are feeling anxious and either verbalizing it to yourself or to a loved one puts those feelings front and center. You can hit it “head on” rather than denying the reality of the situation. Say to yourself, “Oh here comes these bad feelings again. What can I do now to make them go away?”

2. Exercise: Working out hard has always made me feel better. It just makes me feel better about myself which puts me in a better mood.

3. Meditation: Meditation means a-lot of different things to different people but finding a quiet place to try to breathe and just be still helps me calm my mind. It helps me understand what is making me feel badly and then try to rectify the situation.

4. Change It Up: We all tend to get mired in the same daily routine. Find something to do to shake up your day. Do something that at least temporarily gets your mind off obsessing over the same thoughts that are making you anxious or depressed.

Everyone’s mental health can varies from time to time. One’s mood swings can also vary greatly depending upon internal as well as external factors. Many of those factors are out of our control. Being aware of the things that trigger anxiety internally and then doing something them quickly make those dark times vanish in a flash!

I hope this post in a small way helps you feel better about yourself. For me at times it’s still a struggle and always a work in progress. Life is so fleeting and it’s a crime to miss even one day of it because of depression or anxiety. There is so much goodness around us so try savior like it was your last!