Social Psychologist & Personal Advisor
Dr Matt's Archive of Answers
to Burning Questions
Why Do I Feel Extreme Mood Swings
for No Apparent Reason?
Dr. Matt,
Hi, name is Devin, I'm 23, I live in Daytona Beach, Florida, and I am single. This is very awkward for me to do but I have no idea who else to ask so I thought I would give this a try. I recently started school in Daytona, I moved here from Michigan. I don't know how much backstory you need but I'm having the biggest mood swings out of anyone I have ever known, and I have no idea why.
Tuesday night I had people over for a party and I had a great time hanging out and chatting with them, and just tonight I went to a party with some of the same people and I just felt terrible. I felt like all the people there were stupid, that there is no reason to party or anything, I just felt really depressed for no reason. I left the party after 15-20 minutes and came home and started to listen to music that evoked a lot of emotion and it made me cry.
Why would I do this? I have no reason to be sad at all. I am doing well in school, my classmates like me, nothing is wrong at all yet I leave a party that everyone seemed to enjoy to be by myself. This is not the only time I've felt this way, but this is the mot upset I've felt. Sometimes I wake up and don't feel like seeing anyone at all that day. Am I bipolar or something? I feel the need to do spontaneous things when I get upset, like just start driving without any destination, it's so weird.
I hope you can help me out,
Devin
Hello Devin:
The feelings you feel as if out of the blue and "for no reason," appear because of an unseen reality described in the Bible:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12
The Mood Swings you are experiencing are NOT due to some psychological phenomenon; instead, your Mood Swings happen because of a spiritual wrestle with un-seen realities. Even as "wind" is invisible, yet it has power to blow and bend things in the seen world, a similar influence occurs when you and I are influenced by spiritual winds that blow in our Lives.
These invisible winds blow because God allows the powers of darkness to influence our mortal world; for the growth of our eternal souls, beings of darkness are allowed to entice us to destructive ways. The Bible tells us where these spirit beings came from.
Most of the time you can't see them, but you feel their influence; this is not just a matter of Religion, but a matter of Reality. There are thousands of people who have died and miraculously returned to mortal life; they have given detailed accounts of seeing the un-seen world of spirits.
Your challenge is the same one that God has given to all human being: to learn how to effectively wrestle "against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world." This is the test of Life, and this is precisely the way the Creator designed it. Why so?
Because it is through wrestling with opposing powers of darkness, that we learn the virtues of living in the Light. This means, you and I cannot truly appreciate Sweetness and Joy, unless choices of Bitterness and Depression are also possible. Further, through the wrestle with an unseen enemy, we grow in strength of character — character is the only possession we take with us, when mortal flesh returns to dust.
The Greatest Prize
for Life's labors isn't
in material possessions
or impressive accomplishments,
but in the progress of personal character.
You labor for your own becoming, this is your richest reward.
Who You Become is your greatest possession,
make it your Masterpiece!
(Changing Your Stripes, 2nd Edition, page 274).
Notice how I said "choices" of Bitterness and Depression? You see, we cannot control what happens to us in Life, but we do have the "Final Freedom" as to how we will respond to what happens.
It's a deep subject. I've written a 303-page book that describes the Realities of this World in terms of Situation, Self, and Solutions. You can read excerpts from my book online. And when you buy my book, you can receive a free consultation via telephone or email.
Best Regards,
Dr Matt
P.S. Nazi death-camp survivor Viktor Frankl wrote:
"Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target,
the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it
must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication
to a cause greater than oneself, a by-product of one's surrender to a person other than
oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to
let it happen by not caring about it. Then you will live to see that in
the long-run, success will follow you precisely because
you had forgotten to think about it."
~ Viktor Frankl
"He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life
for my sake shall find it... If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me... He that takes not his cross,
and follows after me,
is not worthy of me"
~ Jesus of Nazareth
Self-Discovery Paradox. The ultimate expression of self emerges as one ceases concern for self-identity and simply centers upon the quality of relations. The finding and fulfillment of self unfolds naturally as a person faithfully follows inner urges to be loving and true.
"When you feel a little gloomy, look around and find someone
that is in a worse plight than yourself; ... find out what the trouble is,
then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you.
And the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the
Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything is illuminated."
~ Lorenzo Snow
* * * * * * *
The Journey
For this is the Journey that men make:
To find themselves. If they fail in this, it matters little
whatever else they may achieve: Money, Fame, Revenge.
When they end the Journey, they can put them all into
a bin marked “ashes.” They mean nothing.
But if one has found that he has within him
a divine soul, if he has discovered the principles
upon which the fulfillment of that soul is based, and
if he implements those principles, then he has a mansion
within which he can live with dignity
and joy each day of his life.
(Changing Your Stripes, 3rd Edition, page vi).
The Greatest Prize
for Life's labors isn't
in material possessions
or impressive accomplishments,
but in the progress of personal character.
You labor for your own becoming, this is your richest reward.
Who You Become is your greatest possession,
make it your Masterpiece!
(Changing Your Stripes, 3rd Edition, page 274).
The book, "Changing Your Stripes" presents principles for getting out of
the ditch in which you've been dumped (the difficulties of which you are a victim), and
the ditch in which you've jumped (the difficulties for which you volunteer).
"Mastering a challenging situation
is ultimately a matter of
mastering yourself!"
- Matt Moody
"Changing Your Stripes," teaches you the principles that lead to lasting change,
making you a new kind of creature capable of communicating
with calm, even as storms of contention swirl.
If these principles resonate and ring true,
then . . . this book is for you!
Sold Exclusively
through this website
Changing Your Stripes is a
unique reference book that will help
you understand, . . . and solve all of
Life's ever-appearing problems.
Here are more reasons to buy
Changing Your Stripes
Social Psychologist & Personal Advisor
