21 Home Remedies for Mood Swings

by Ely Jaehnig · Published November 26, 2018 · Updated November 22, 2021

Mood swings are when your moods are all over the place often times without much of a warning. You can be happy and having a good time and then suddenly you are feeling depressed, angry, upset, or even scared. If you are tired of dealing with them, keep reading to learn some home remedies for mood swings.

What can Cause the Mood Swings?

Mood swings can be caused by a number of things. It can be the result of untreated depression, borderline personality disorder, menopause or a menstrual cycle side effect, or bipolar disorder.

With so many different possible causes, how can you be sure which one is causing the trouble? Each cause has other symptoms so you can try to pinpoint which one best fits what has been going on.

Symptoms

People who have any of the following symptoms are likely to feel depressed or anxious at times

Depression

Suicidal thoughts
Insomnia
Hopelessness
Trouble with making decisions, concentrating, and or remembering things
Restlessness and irritability
Overeating or not eating enough
Feeling ‘empty’ or ‘numb’
Feeling guilt over little things

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Feeling boredom, isolation, and or emptiness
Unstable sense of how you feel about yourself
Fear of rejection
- Strong reaction to imagined or real abandonment
Trouble feeling empathy toward other people
Hostility
Mood swings lasting for anywhere from a couple hours to a few days
Depression and anxiety
Impulsiveness
- Self-destructive behaviors, unsafe sex, alcohol or drug abuse, reckless driving
Changing goals and plans for career and life

Menopause

Dry eyes, skin, and mouth
Anxiety and depression
Vaginal dryness
Sore and tender breasts
Lessened sex drive
Weight gain
Trouble concentrating or remembering things
Urinating more
Headaches or migraines
Hair thinning
Reduced bone and muscle with painful and stiff joints

Bipolar Disorder

Smaller need or want of sleep
Easy to distract
Impulsiveness and restlessness
Racing thoughts or faster than usual speech
Feeling happy for long bouts of time
Overconfidence in skills

If you match more than one of the symptoms for bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, or menopause it would not be unwise to set up an appointment with your doctor.

For menopause, you should be going to regular appointments as you age. For the others, they can cause more troubles or get worse if they go untreated or overlooked. There is nothing wrong with getting the help of a professional.

Home Remedies for Mood Swings

If your emotions are constantly and randomly changing, then you are likely suffering from mood swings

Go Organic

Some of the causes listed above are affected by hormone changes. Because of that, it might be best to get the most organic produce and meats as you can. So instead of going to the supermarket, go to the Co-Op. Non-organic meats and produce have a higher chance of being loaded with pesticides, preservatives, and hormones that mess the balance of your own hormones.

Berries

Try to eat plenty of berries. Berries like blackberries, cranberries, blueberries, and strawberries are packed full of antioxidants that help your brain to have stronger cell signaling and they also reduce inflammation. The berries can be fresh or frozen.

No Chemical Scents

It is not just chemicals you eat that can throw off your hormones, it is the ones that you inhale too. So stopping smoking would be an amazing idea. Or if you do not smoke but use scented perfumes and things, it would not be a bad idea to skip out on those and move instead to unscented things or to make your own natural perfumes with essential oils.

Proper Diet

Eating is important, especially if your appetite is touch and go. So when you are able to eat something, you want to make sure that you are eating food that can help you. Eating things like whole grains, peanuts, legumes, beans, peas, and lentils can all help you because they lift the amounts of serotonin.

Vitamins and Minerals

Like there are different foods that can help you, there are also different minerals and vitamins that you can take in supplement pills or get from different foods.

As far as minerals go, you might be interested in trying. zinc, magnesium, and iron. These three are important when it comes to mood swings because they relax the muscles.

When looking at vitamins, you want vitamin C along with B12, B5, and B6 or simply a B-complex. It also is not a bad idea to take an average everyday multi-vitamin as well. These vitamins help mood swings to happen less often if not to a lesser degree by helping to calm you down from stress.

When possible, get your vitamins and minerals from foods, rather than pills or supplements

Liver Health

Making sure that your liver is doing its job nice and strong is another important thing you can do to ward off mood swings. Keeping the liver healthy is important not just because it helps keep your body safe but also because it balances the estrogen levels. If you can help it along with that, then it can keep the mood swings off even better.

So make sure to eat things like sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, spinach, and pumpkin are all great choices

You can also avoid foods and drinks that put more stress and pressure on the liver. So do not eat things that are high in sugars or carbs; that are processed; or have caffeine, alcohol, or trans-fats.

Herbs

Herbs are one of the most amazing medicines that people have within arms reach. There are different kinds of herbs that you can try for different emotions that might trouble you more than others.

If you get anxiety and or nervousness more than most emotions, then try holy basil (also helps stress and depression) or passionflower. You can get both of these in teas, you can add the basil to your diet, or can just take them in supplement capsules. For the holy basil, you want to take 500mg twice a day and it is suggested you to it after a meal. For passionflower, take two ml thrice a day.

If you get mad or upset easily, then try lemon balm. The lemon balm works as a very mild sedative that can also calm anxiety and help you to sleep if you have been having trouble with that as well. Rather than taking this in a capsule, it is suggested that you drink a cup of water with 60 drops (give or take) before bed.

Get More or Better Sleep

Not getting enough sleep can create an unbalance of hormones in the brain. So maybe you just need sleep; if you are getting the hours but not the rest, they’re ways that can help you get a more restful night.

Start making your room as dark as you can stand it or at the very least use dim lighting. This helps because the darkness will tell your brain that it is time for rest. To further this tip, do not watch TV before bed, cover analog clocks, and do not go on your phone while in bed.

Obviously, not having caffeine after about five in the evening is good idea. To further relax yourself, try to a soak in the tub or try some yoga before bed.

Omega-3

Omega-3 is a fatty acids that can benefit your mood swings, cognition, memory, and overall brain health. You can get omega-3 from different foods like fresh caught fish or fortified milks. If you do not get omega-3 from your food, then you can get it in pill form at either 200 or 300 mg. This much omega-3 increases the gray matter in your brain, which is what drives depression and your moods.

Avocado is a good vegan source of omega-3

Whey Protein Powder

This drink can be very helpful in helping your brain and mood swings because of the protein and amino acids. Both of these together help to balance your blood sugar and hormones.

Hormones

This tip is for females that might suffer from PMS or premenstrual syndrome. Some people might think that this is a joke that only comes up on TV, but it is real and it can cause a number of troubles- one of them being mood swings.

Getting more calcium (500 mg a day) and vitamin B-6 (50 to 100 mg daily) from either pills or varying foods into your system along with 200 mg of magnesium can all help your mood swings.

No MSG

Foods with a high concentrate of MSG (monosodium glutamate) can do terrible things to the brain and cause more things than just mood swings. MSG can cause brain fog, mood swings, asthma, migraines, heart irregularities, and upset stomachs. On top of that, studies that are being done are starting to show signs of MSG causing the death of brain cells.

Extremely salty foods like canned soups, hydrolyzed soy products, fast food, and ramen noodles are all foods to be careful around. If you get a craving for any of these, make sure that the package clearly says there is not MSG in it.

Homeostasis

Homeostasis is a healthy balance of things. The homeostasis that you are looking for with mood swings is between blood sugar and a stressing causing hormone called cortisol. Having too much cortisol can cause memory loss, brain fog, anxiety and depression, and mood swings. Luckily, you can incorporate ginseng, bacopa, Rhodiola rosea, holy basil, and ashwagandha to help in achieving this balance.

basil, herb, dengue fever, bed bug bites

Dried or fresh basil can be used to make basil tea

Battle Depression

It may seem impossible, but it is possible to conquer depression and to be cheerful and happy. If medications are not for you, there are natural ways that you can do it too.

Half an hour of exercise if a good first step because it helps you to clear your mind at least a little. Meditation is another one that many people find can help them to feel more like themselves. Not only can meditation calm depression, but it helps with anxiety and overall stress. You can even use yoga as a form of meditation, as well as listening to calming music or guided meditations.

Aromatherapy

Just like herbs can help your mood swings, the essential oils of the herbs can do just as much if not more. There are a couple of oils that have been found to be more helpful than others when it comes to doing aromatherapy for mood swings.

Orange oil helps you focus, lift your mood, and concentrate. Lavender oil is magnificent for helping you relax and therefore sleep. Ylang ylang calms stresses and tensions. Frankincense gives a feeling of serenity.

Daily Order

A simple way to control your mood swings is to keep a planner of things that have to get done that day or to add a routine to your day. Doing this can limit the stress, anger, and annoyance of the day’s plans being switched around at a moment’s notice.

Do Not Do Drugs

Some people try to use different drugs as a way to control their mood swings. If your doctor gives a medication, then take it. But do not try to self-medicate with things that could be dangerous and or illegal. The mood swings themselves can be bad and going through ups and downs or even withdrawal as the drugs wear off can make it so much worse.

Be Patient

You need to see and understand that the mood swings are highly unlikely to stop overnight. The mood swings may be annoying for yourself and the people around you, but it is important to note that the mood swings are not your fault and that you are doing the best that you can. So surround yourself with people that love and support you while are battling to get your mood swings under your control instead of them controlling you.

irregular menstrual cycles, stressed, woman

You cannot control your mood swings, so don’t beat yourself up for having them

Do Not Walk on Eggshells

If you are the friend of someone that has been having mood swings, do not try to hide topics or different things from the person. Because of their mood swings, it is not uncommon for them to draw to into themselves a little by being too cautious around them, it can make them feel even more aloof. If you yourself are suffering from the mood swings, feel free to tell you friends and family not hold back from things.

Three C’s

One piece of advice that some doctors give people with borderline personality disorder are “the three C’s”. You did not cause, you cannot cause it, or control it. You can learn to cope with it, but trying to totally control it can make things even more stressful.

One All Nighter

On tip was to get more sleep in order to get rid of mood swings. Believe it or not, but some studies are starting to show that one night of not getting any sleep can reset your sleep cycle so that you reset your sleep schedule to how you need it. So the next day off that you have, the night before it, try having a movie marathon and then sleep like a rock the next night.