Waiting For The Mood Bus To Arrive

Title:

Waiting for the Mood Bus to Arrive

Summary

We talk about our moods as if they are things that come along like buses or trains and we hop on and ride them until its time to get off when we reach a destination, wherever that is and wherever it ends up.

Pull the Cord DING time to get off!

When it relates to the gastric bypass bariatric weight-loss patient, the mood is a very funny thing to measure since we find ourselves on incredible mood swings at times. Why is that?

Mood, bus, hormones, fat cells, RNY, roux-en-y, gastric bypass, bariatric, weight loss surgery, lose weight

Article Body

How many times have your heard Im not in the mood or When Im in the mood, Ill do it,?

We talk about our moods as if they are things that come along like buses or trains and we hop on and ride them until its time to get off when we reach a destination, wherever that is and wherever it ends up.

Pull the Cord DING time to get off!

Article Body

When it relates to the gastric bypass bariatric weight-loss patient, the mood is a very funny thing to measure since we find ourselves on incredible mood swings at times. Why is that? Why do we have such mood swings for about the first six months of our weight-loss journey?

Its basically because fat cells harbor our hormones; and when we are shrinking away our fat cells, our hormones are affected tremendously, and often, they appear out of control. Some of us are better at coping with these drastic hormonal changes, and others certainly are challenged with disguising their mood swings. I bet right now, you can identify a few situations where you didnt understand why you suddenly lashed out at someone, cried unexpectedly, or totally misunderstood something and took it offensively. Youre confused as to why you have reacted in this fashion when its not even in your character. If it normally isnt in your character to behave in such a manner, then you have to realize that your fat cells and hormones are on the roller coaster ride of their life and they too are confused! Theyve never before been subject to such sudden and dramatic changes because youve never lost so much weight so rapidly before in your entire dieting history.

How can you counteract these mood swings? Heres some tips

Recognition: They are what they are fat cells and hormones trying their best to function.

Be Hopeful: The swings wont last forever only for about six months along your weight-loss journey until the hormones get settled and back to normal.

Pause Before Responding: Youve heard that counting to ten thing. This gives the mind a bit of time to rationally and logically prepare rather than burst out like a cannon with bad aim.

How can you counteract these mood swings? Heres some tips

Inhale Deeply: Additional oxygen in the lungs gets to the blood cells which gets to the brain. Dont make your brain be on an oxygen diet because that only impairs your thinking.

Consider the Consequences: Will your mood hurt someone? Will it cause more confusion to the situation? Bad consequences can never be escaped. And if youre not good at apologizing, youll damage important relationships even further.

Get Adequate Rest: The body and the mind needs to shut down and regroup to function at its best. Cheating yourself of adequate rest magnifies the mood swings.

How can you counteract these mood swings? Heres some tips

Eat Nutritionally: This is a no-brainer to us, isnt it? We are more aware of our bodys nutritional needs than weve ever been aware in our lives because our bloodwork will show our doctor the truth during our follow-up visits.

Walk it Off, Soak it Out: Take a walk or a long hot bath to relax yourself. Dont make important decisions when you feel tense.

Get Help: if things are too overwhelming, seek help from supporters or even from the medical profession. Theres should be no shame in asking for help.

How can you counteract these mood swings? Heres some tips

Inform Others: Or shall I say warn others of your temporary circumstance? You just might avoid future misunderstandings this way.

Get Sunshine: Every chance you get spend some time in the sunshine! Part the drapes, open the blinds, take a walk, go for a drive, sit on a park bench just enjoy the sunshine! Serotonin (chemical in our body that affects our moods) is increased when we are in the bright sunshine.

Write it Out: Write your moods/frustrations down on paper. Keep them in a journal for future review or instantly throw them away. This exercise is simply to release the steam that might be building up inside of you.

How can you counteract these mood swings? Heres some tips

Its Not Unique: When you consider that youre not unique to these mood swings, you can take comfort to know that others are experiencing the same kind of things. Youre not going crazy.

Select ONE item from the list above and work on it RIGHT NOW TODAY. It all begins HERE! Keep adding ideas from the above list, and soon youll be feeling better about your moods and become less prone to surrendering to your out-of-control feelings or emotions.

Stop waiting for the Mood Bus to come youre no longer the passenger, youve been promoted to the DRIVER in control of your own route!