What causes people to be emotionally unstable?

Are you feeling highly emotional or emotionally unstable at this moment in time?

Are you wondering why you are feeling this way and looking for helpful ways to soothe your feelings?

Many women will feel emotionally unstable at different times in their lives. Emotional instability can stem from various factors.

Factors such as stress, fluctuating hormones, and life traumas. Then there are issues such as starting a new job or career, the end of a relationship, moving home and bereavement that can bring up feelings of emotional instability.

If you lack the support of friends or family, lack confidence and have a poor self-care routine, you can also find feelings of emotional instability can be exacerbated.

When you understand what your underlying causes are then you will be able to address the emotional challenges you are facing and it will bring stability to your life.

How do I stop being emotionally unstable?

When you are feeling emotionally unstable, there are various options you can take to change the way you are thinking and the results you are getting in your life.

It’s important to develop awareness of the emotions you are experiencing and identify the triggers that are making you feel the way you do. Make the first step to awareness and start journaling. Get a journal and start recording the feelings coming up inside of you and the situations that are causing them. Doing this will help you to recognise patterns that have developed and therefore the underlying causes of the emotions you have.

Set up practices such as mindfulness, deep breathing exercises or meditation. These practices will cultivate a sense of peace and calm within you and will help you to get a sense of control over the way you are feeling.

Set yourself goals to aid in your personal growth, confidence and self-esteem. Practice being kind to yourself, beating yourself up will only bring about negative emotions.

Over time, adopting these practices can lead to more stable emotions

19 Helpful Ideas

1. One reason can be genetic factors

One reason you can be emotionally unstable is due to genetic factors. Research indicates that genetic predispositions can influence brain chemistry and emotional regulation, leading to variations in mood stability among individuals.

If there is a family history of mood disorders or anxiety, it may suggest a hereditary aspect that affects how emotions are processed and expressed. This genetic background can create a heightened sensitivity to stressors, making it more challenging to maintain emotional equilibrium and contributing to fluctuations in mood that can feel overwhelming.

Understanding this connection can be a crucial step in seeking appropriate support and strategies for managing emotional health.

2. Environmental situations experienced in childhood

If you grew up in an environment that was buried in instability and unpredictable behaviour you could have been left with emotional scars.

You may have experienced frequent family conflicts or experienced financial or material hardships. These situations could contribute to heightened feelings of stress and anxiety.

If you didn’t feel safe and secure in your surroundings as you grew up, it could have influenced how you now process your emotions and could have distorted how you form relationships.

The experiences you have in your childhood can shape your perception of who you are and your worth. It can stunt your emotional resilience which can lead to overly heightened negative emotions as you get older.

3. Specific health conditions affecting mood

Specific health conditions can significantly impact mood and contribute to feelings of emotional instability. For women going through menopause or premenstrual syndrome, hormones can lead to you having mood swings or feeling irritable.

Thyroid health issues, especially hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can present as depression or anxiety. Chronic conditions such as diabetes or fibromyalgia can cause a lot of physical discomfort, and tiredness and can cause great emotional distress.

When you understand the correlation between illness and emotion you can work on ways of stabilising your emotions.

4. Certain mental health issues

Mental health conditions can lead to fluctuating mood swings and can cause a roller coaster of emotions.

Conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and borderline personality disorder can impact emotions, often manifesting in intense mood swings, anxiety, loneliness and feelings of emptiness and depression.

Also past traumas, stress, and grief can heighten feelings of instability, which in turn can make it difficult to maintain a sense of balance and purpose.

5. Lifestyle behavioural factors

The lifestyle you live can contribute to emotional instability. These lifestyle factors include chronic stress, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and inadequate sleep.

If you are living a fast-paced lifestyle this can lead to overwhelming responsibilities and insufficient downtime, which can spike anxiety levels and lead to mood swings.

Additionally, if you eat a diet high in processed foods and sugar, this can negatively affect brain chemistry, further destabilizing emotions.

If you neglect physical activity you will be diminishing the release of endorphins, the body's natural mood lifters. Furthermore, insufficient sleep disrupts emotional regulation, producing high levels of cortisol, a major stress hormone, leaving individuals more susceptible to feeling overwhelmed.

By addressing these lifestyle habits, you can create a healthier emotional foundation.

6. Introduce a self-care regime

Everyone needs a self-care routine in place in life. You will be the only one who ever fully cares about you, no matter how good the people around you are.

Therefore, it is your responsibility to make sure you practice self-care daily.

You need to be the one who eats well and gets adequate sleep. It’s up to you to make sure you exercise and stay healthy. And the reason it’s up to you?

Because, even if you have the most caring person in the world in your life, prodding you to take care of yourself, you are the only one who can take the steps.

Decide on a self-care routine that works for you and make sure you follow it every day.

It could be something as simple as having a cup of tea and staring out of your window every morning, or you may like to take a relaxing bath in the evening.

Whatever it is, make sure you prioritise yourself and your self-care routine.

7. Start the practice of meditation

Starting the practice of meditation when you are emotionally unstable can provide a valuable refuge for your mind and spirit. It allows you to create a space of stillness amidst the chaos, helping you to ground yourself and gain clarity.

Even just a few minutes of focused breathing and mindfulness can help to calm racing thoughts and restore balance. As you develop this practice, you may find it easier to identify and process your emotions, leading to a greater sense of control and well-being.

Consistency in meditation can transform your emotional landscape, empowering you to approach challenges with a more centred and resilient mindset.

8. Improve your diet

Feeling emotionally unstable? Change your diet. Improving your diet when you are emotionally unstable can play a significant role in stabilizing your mood and overall well-being.

Look at what you are eating at the moment. Is your diet full of processed food, sugar and bad fats? Take a good look and start to make some changes immediately. Add nutrient-dense foods that support brain health, such as leafy greens, fatty fish rich in omega-3s, and whole grains into your daily diet. These foods can help regulate neurotransmitters and improve emotional resilience.

Once you have looked at your diet, next pay attention to when and how you eat. What are your eating habits? Adopt the practice of mindful eating. By doing this you can reduce impulsive food choices driven by emotions.

Make sure you stay well-hydrated and have meals that are well-balanced with protein, fibre, fats and carbohydrates. This will help to balance your blood sugar levels which will prevent you from crashing. It will help you to maintain steady energy levels, reducing mood swings.

By making conscious dietary choices, you can create a solid foundation for emotional stability and enhance your journey toward personal growth.

9. Improve your sleep patterns

Improving your sleep patterns when you're feeling emotionally unstable can be challenging, but it is essential for your overall well-being.

The first thing you need to do is to start establishing a consistent bedtime routine.

This simple procedure signifies to your mind and body that it’s time to start settling down for the night.

You also need to establish a calming environment in your bedroom to prepare you for sleep.

Keep the lights dimmed, make sure your room is as quiet as possible and keep your room at an ambient temperature.

Before you go to bed, undertake relaxing activities such as reading, a warm bath, gentle stretches or mindfulness and meditation.

Put phones and laptops in another room so you aren’t tempted to look at them.

10. Use cognitive behavioural therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an effective approach for those experiencing emotional instability. The reason it is so effective is that it aids in identifying and changing negative thoughts that can add to feelings of negativity.

By focusing on CBT, you will be able to recognize negative automatic thoughts that trigger emotional responses. This can then help you to challenge these thoughts and reframe them into more positive ones.

This therapeutic process not only fosters emotional regulation but will also equip you with effective coping strategies to manage those negative feelings more effectively.

A consistent practice of CBT can build up your resilience and can balance your emotional state.

11. Develop your personal support group

Look at the people in your life. Are they the sort of people who lift you, support you and make you feel good about yourself and life? Or are they the sort of people who are self-centred, negative and leave you feeling depressed?

The people you choose to have around you will either lift you or bring you down.

Think carefully about who you spend time with and look to develop your personal support group of people who will be there for you no matter how you are feeling and will prop you up.

12. Live in a mindful way

Mindful living can help to ease many negative emotions that can be affecting your life. The purpose of mindfulness is to be in the present moment, not thinking about what has happened in the past or worrying about what MAY happen in the future.

Being present, allows you to recognise what you have, and how you are feeling and then to focus on the moment in a detached, observational way. This helps to reduce negative emotions and puts you in a more positive frame of mind.

13. Exercise on a regular basis

One of the best things you can do for your emotional well-being is to exercise.

It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are moving. You could be running, swimming, cycling or practising yoga and the results would all be the same.

Feel-good endorphins will be released into your system and will give you a natural high and the good thing, the more you exercise the more endorphins are released, making you feel better and better the more you do.

So to help stabilise your emotions and to feel more positive get active every day.

14. Organise your life properly

When you are emotionally unstable, organizing your life can feel overwhelming, but taking small, deliberate steps can provide clarity and stability.

Start by prioritizing your tasks; create a simple to-do list that outlines immediate responsibilities and objectives.

Break larger projects into manageable chunks to avoid feeling daunted; this allows for a sense of accomplishment as you check off completed items.

Establish a routine, as consistency can help ground you during turbulent times. Additionally, declutter your physical space, as a tidy environment often leads to a clearer mindset.

Remember to set aside time for self-care, whether through meditation, exercise, or journaling, to help process your emotions and maintain well-being. Embracing these organizational strategies can pave the way for emotional resilience and a more balanced life.

15. Control your thinking

If you want to avoid making bad decisions, rash judgements or mistakes you will need to control your thinking during emotionally unstable moments.

You need to do this to maintain clarity and to make rational decisions.

When your emotions are running high, it can be easy to get caught in a spiral of negative thoughts that can amplify feelings of anxiety or sadness.

Therefore to begin regaining control, stop, and implement these different techniques; deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation anything to create a moment to pause and reflect on your thoughts.

You can acknowledge the thoughts you are having but do so without judgment.

When you have done this, redirect your focus to facts and solutions rather than speculation.

By setting aside a few moments to reflect and self-regulate, you can reshape your mindset towards a more positive and constructive outlook, paving the way for better choices and actions.

16. Develop personal mantras

When you are feeling emotionally unstable, have some mantras you can say. Make sure they are the 3 P’s of mantras, Personal, Positive and Present.

Repeating personal mantras can lift your spirits and make you feel better about your situation.

They can make you appreciate your life and everything you have, give you clarity and boost your confidence.

17. Reframe your thinking

Learning to reframe your thoughts during emotionally unstable moments is a powerful tool you can use to regain control of a situation and get perspective.

When your emotions run high, you need to take a step back and identify the thoughts that are influencing your feelings.

Challenge negative or distorted thoughts that appear in your mind by asking yourself if they are based on facts or assumptions.

When you have established the validity of your thought you then need to consider alternative viewpoints that may offer a more balanced perspective on the situation.

Become accustomed to focusing on what you can control, rather than what feels overwhelming.

By consciously shifting your mindset, you can build resilience, reduce anxiety, and empower yourself to navigate through emotional instability with greater clarity and strength.

18. Practice self-compassion

Be kind to yourself. There will always be times in your life when you feel emotionally unstable.

Life is never a straight road, there are often bumps and turns in the road that can throw you off course.

Beating yourself up is never going to solve your issues. Being kind will help you to move through the feelings you are experiencing at the moment.

19. Use a life coach or therapist

Using a life coach or therapist can be a great aid when you are feeling emotionally unstable.

They are there to offer you support and guidance to help you navigate the way you are feeling and to put tools and procedures in place to help you think differently and more productively.

Talking with a trained professional can give you clarity and objectivity when you need it most.

Final Thoughts

Emotional instability often stems from a multitude of factors, including unresolved past trauma, stress from daily life, and fluctuating hormones, which can all contribute to a sense of overwhelm.

The lack of coping strategies can make it difficult to manage emotions effectively, leading to feelings of anxiety, sadness, or anger that seem disproportionate to the situation at hand.

Additionally, patterns of negative thinking can create a cycle that reinforces emotional distress, making it challenging to regain a sense of balance.

Understanding the root causes of this instability is essential for developing healthier coping mechanisms and fostering emotional resilience.

Seeking support through life coaching can provide the necessary tools to navigate these emotional challenges and work towards a more stable mindset.

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