One minute you’re happy, the next you feel like you’re ready to explode out of anger, burst into tears, climb the walls out of anxiousness — or all of the above.

Moodiness is something we all struggle with from time to time, but if your mood swings are extreme (i.e. they’re making your life, or your loved ones’, difficult) it’s a sign that you need to get to the bottom of what’s causing your erratic moods.

Often, “curing” your moodiness is as simple as recognizing what’s causing it in the first place …

What Causes Moodiness? And What to Do About It …

6. Psychological Stress

When you’re under a lot of stress — job-related, relationship issues, financial worries, feeling overwhelmed with your daily responsibilities, etc. — your mood is likely to suffer from highs and lows. Plus, when you’re already feeling frazzled, it won’t take much to make you “snap” or lose your cool. What may be a minor annoyance on a normal day will easily send you on an emotional rollercoaster if you’re stressed out.

Finding ways to cope with stress is therefore invaluable for keeping your mood steady. Yoga, meditation, exercise, journaling, chatting with a friend, going to therapy … all of these can help you with your stress levels — choose the methods that work best for you.

5. Lack of Vitamin B12

Mood swings are a common symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency, which makes sense since B vitamins are essential for the proper functioning of your nervous system. It’s estimated that up to 15 percent of Americans may be deficient in vitamin B12;[i] if you think you’re among them, ask your physician to test your levels. Vitamin B12 is found in animal foods like fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products, as well as in supplement form, so it’s easy to get your levels up if you’re found to be deficient.

4. Hormonal Changes (Menopause, PMS, Pregnancy)

Hormonal changes that occur during menstruation, pregnancy, menopause and beyond can send your mood reeling, leaving you feeling out of control and oversensitive. Imbalances in hormones such as estrogen and progesterone can actually have an impact on serotonin levels in your brain, which are a key modulator of your mood. While some choose to treat hormonal fluctuations with bioidentical hormone therapy (particularly those that occur during menopause), others find that attention to healthy diet, exercise and stress relief helps relieve moodiness and other hormone-related symptoms.

3. Hypothyroidism

Your brain depends on thyroid hormones to stimulate the production of key mood-regulating chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. If you have hypothyroidism, your body isn’t producing enough thyroid hormones to function properly. Many cases of hypothyroidism go undiagnosed, and problems can occur even at a sub-clinical level, so if moodiness is a problem for you, ask a physician to check your thyroid health (especially if it’s combined with fatigue, weight gain, depression and hair loss — other symptoms of thyroid trouble).

Dietary changes are often effective at treating the symptoms of hypothyroidism; a qualified natural health care practitioner can help guide you in how to treat hypothyroidism naturally.

2. Fatigue (Mental or Physical)

Both mental and physical fatigue can take an extreme toll on your mood and make it difficult to maintain your calm. If you’re having trouble sleeping, are overdoing it physically or are under extra pressure at work or at home, the fatigue may be causing your emotional stability to go out the window.

Work on banishing fatigue at its source — seek stress relief if your fatigue is mental, make changes to your sleep environment if you have trouble sleeping, or put attention into changing your work or social life so it leaves you feeling energized instead of overly fatigued.

1. Toxic Buildup

Accumulated toxins in your body are a little known yet top cause of moodiness that is often overlooked. Mood swings, despair, anger and other emotional disturbances are actually common “side effects” of a lifetime of toxic build-up. Where do all of these toxins come from?

They’re in your food (pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors), your water and in the air you breathe (car exhaust, second-hand smoke, fumes from cleaning products, etc.). Other toxins include medications, alcohol, cigarettes … and your body even produces waste products known as endogenous toxins (an unhealthy gut is a common source of endogenous toxins), which can quickly overwhelm your system, particularly if your normal routes of elimination (your urine, colon, lungs, skin and mucosal linings) are not working properly.

If you’re suffering from extreme mood swings, you can assist in your body’s release of accumulated toxins by using Natural Cleanse, a 30-day colon flush and revitalization program.

Developed by LivingWell Nutraceuticals using the very latest research and clinical studies in digestive health, this uniquely powerful yet soothing cleanse has been formulated to gently release and flush impacted fecal matter, bacteria, parasites and other toxins from your colon while at the same time revitalizing and tonifying your colon with a patented blend of essential probiotics.

By flushing toxins from your gastrointestinal tract, your bowels will begin to function normally and inflammation of your GI tract lining will also be reduced (helping stop the transfer of toxins from your colon into your bloodstream). Many report that their mood improves dramatically and stabilizes, along with feeling more energetic and focused, after completing this simple 30-day program …