4 types of behavior of someone who is emotionally unstable.

The crazy pace of life that prevails today in large, densely populated cities has a negative quality - it has a bad effect on the health of working society. Wake up in the morning, have time to get ready, feed the household, get yourself in order and rush headlong to the metro station so as not to be late for work. Serve a bunch of clients in the office or, having worked a shift at the machine, rush home in an exhausted state, so that, again, you have time to do all the household chores, prepare the children for tomorrow in the garden or school, tidy up, do the laundry and cook dinner. And so on day after day, five and sometimes six days a week. After that, Sunday remains, during which you need to have time to prepare a spring applique for your daughter for the garden, help your son with a wall newspaper for school, take the carpet to the dry cleaner and go to the market for new wallpaper. And then reinstall the software on the computer in order to be able to get information from there about the features of the bedroom renovation, which has begun and still does not end...

Today, any average resident of a big city can be subject to quite serious physical and psychological stress, which ultimately often ends in an emotional breakdown.

Concept

The very concept of an emotional breakdown presupposes the manifestation in a person of a psychological state that is the result of being in tension for a long time. It is often aggravated by serious complications associated with mental and nervous system disorders. To put it simply, it is an outburst of emotions, the fruit of a long and collective process of accumulation of negative sensations, stressful manifestations and negative energy. It's like the climax of a story about being constantly in an exciting and emotionally charged state. And it is important to note that such a pathological process is quite dangerous to human health. That is why it is important to prevent situations of this kind that provoke the accumulation of negative emotions and the subsequent manifestation of what in psychology is called emotional shock and a nervous breakdown.

Emotional instability

Emotional instability is a deviation or problem of a psychological nature, manifested in mood swings, poor self-control, impulsiveness, impulsive actions, as well as other signs of emotional lability.

In other words, this is a state that is the opposite of psycho-emotional stability. A psycho-emotionally unstable person reacts inadequately to everyday stimuli. Emotionally labile people find it difficult to concentrate.

Any even minor trouble for emotionally unstable individuals can disrupt the usual rhythm of life and impair performance.

What it is

Emotional stability is considered a normal state of the human psyche. It is characterized by an adequate response to external stimuli.

In other words, we can talk about emotional stability when the psycho-emotional reactions of individuals correspond to the level of seriousness of the threat or problem. So, for example, an emotionally stable subject will not start crying because of a burnt scrambled egg.

In an emotionally stable individual, strong emotions give rise to serious situations, for example, the loss of a loved one.

The ability to manage your own emotional response is negatively affected by stress, psycho-emotional fatigue, and hormonal changes.

Emotionally stable individuals have the following characteristics:

– do not feel causeless irritability;

– can control their own emotions;

– able to make thoughtful decisions;

– lack of impulsiveness;

– ignore minor troubles.

Thanks to the listed characteristics, people with a stable psyche are pleasant in communication, not prone to emotions, and are excellent workers, since minor difficulties do not affect their ability to make competent decisions, concentrate and work fruitfully.

Emotional instability is the opposite state of psycho-emotional stability.

A psycho-emotionally unstable person is characterized by an inadequate response to everyday stimuli. He has difficulty concentrating; any minor problem can disrupt his usual way of being and reduce his performance.

Emotional instability is characterized by increased irritability, spontaneous attacks of anger, and frequent unconscious mood swings.

Causes of emotional instability

The instability of emotions cannot be attributed to diseases. It is a deviation of a personal nature, revealed in a frantic emotional outburst.

A person suffering from the type of disorder described is characterized by mood swings, irritability, impatience, and, in some situations, aggressiveness.

They acutely perceive the slightest criticism from those around them; it is difficult for them to perceive other people's opinions.

To this day, it is quite difficult to determine the true factor responsible for the emergence of emotional instability. However, today we can identify several reasons that directly provoke the onset of the analyzed deviation, namely:

– psychological trauma;

– hypo- or hyperprotection of relatives;

– constant exposure to stressors;

– persistent overstrain of an emotional nature;

– chronic fatigue due to lack of sleep, malnutrition, improper routine;

– psychasthenia;

– deficiency of nutrients in the body;

– hormonal disruptions or changes;

– mental disorders: depressive states, neuroses, bipolar disorder, manic disorder;

– influence of character accentuations;

– side effects of certain medications;

– congenital defects of the nervous system.

Also, emotional instability in women can often occur at a certain stage of the menstrual cycle or be a consequence of the approach of menopause. This condition is transient and can be treated with specialized pharmacopoeial drugs aimed at normalizing the ratio of hormones.

In addition, emotional instability may be a consequence of the presence of the following somatic disorders, such as: vascular diseases, hypotension, hypertension, brain tumors, diabetes mellitus, brain injuries. Here, instability of emotions should be considered as a symptom of an underlying illness.

It is also possible to identify factors that aggravate psycho-emotional lability. Emotional instability is enhanced by lack of sleep, malnutrition or poor quality nutrition, stress, lack of rest, deterioration of well-being, psycho-emotional shocks, being in uncomfortable conditions, a turbulent environment, forced interaction with individuals who cause antipathy.

Etymology

In order to understand the etiology of this pathological health condition, it is worth paying attention to the primary source of the accumulation of negative emotions. And if we consider this mechanism as a whole, it looks like this: every day a person succumbs to some kind of psychological pressure or experiences tension, for example, when meeting a specific person at work, or is subjected to regular repression at home - be it moral or at least physical.

The occurrence of a single provocative situation does not entail a cumulative system of emotional overexcitation as such. That is, if you are afraid of dogs, for example, and you are worried about meeting a gang of mongrels in one of the alleys on the way to your house, this is a separate situation that happens and is eventually forgotten. But if every day you rush to work and meet this barking pack in the morning and evening (considering that you have been terribly afraid of dogs since childhood), here the degree of your emotional state is at risk of reaching a critical point. As a result, you end up having an emotional breakdown.

What should I do if I am an emotionally unbalanced person?

Hello, Ulyana

Start by assessing yourself on the positive side, and then think about why you offend others? Because something doesn’t work out for you, or because you imagined something differently, but it turned out the other way around, or because at that very moment this person offended you with a word? Aggression and barbs towards others are a consequence, not a cause. You are a kind person who needs support and attention. The absence of like-minded people leads to uncontrolled aggression. Your words convey a lack of self-confidence or even hatred of yourself and your actions. When did this start? What is stopping you from finishing the things you started and getting pleasure from the result and the opportunity to believe in yourself!? Understand that only you can fix the situation, the main thing is to want it. Judging by the fact that you asked for help, this means that this is bothering you and you will be able to determine the cause and cope with low self-esteem and your aggression. Start from the next day by adhering to the following rules of life and it will be easier for you to build communication and perceive yourself at your true worth: stop thinking about the bad, do not terrorize yourself with destructive attitudes. Thoughts materialize, that is, what we think about is what we attract. We think about the bad - we attract the bad, we think about the good - we attract the good. Feeding yourself on positivity and spreading it around is an effective way to boost your self-esteem. If you did something wrong and you are blamed for it, just admit it as a fact. Don't waste your energy and emotions on excuses. Yes, I’m guilty, yes, I’ll correct myself. Don't make yourself feel guilty. What's done is done, everyone has the right to make mistakes. Learn to admit mistakes and try to correct them immediately. Plan for your future. Set realistic (attainable) goals for yourself, write down ways to achieve them and regularly implement them - this is an effective way to achieve success and gain self-confidence. Don’t put it off until tomorrow and don’t let your mind think about more than is really necessary, since it tends to think a lot of unnecessary things, doubt and find excuses, “why not do this.” If the mind (and in women, intuition) says “it is necessary” and “it is better this way,” then it is necessary, and exactly that way. Bring everything to completion, as unfinished tasks reduce self-esteem and self-confidence, reminding us of defeat and weakness. Never quit something halfway - then you will have nothing to reproach yourself with. Stop showing your importance and pretending that you are better than others. If you don't live up to the image you present, others will put you in your place and you will look funny. In addition, with such behavior you will attract someone who wants to compare with you what they usually measure against, and you can lose shamefully, which will not contribute to increasing self-esteem. Fears are the biggest destroyer of your self-confidence. Try more often to do things that you were afraid to do, but do without nonsense, unnecessary heroism and unjustified risks. It may turn out that overcoming your fears is the best way to achieve success. As they say, the eyes are afraid, but the hands do. You will certainly succeed. Treat yourself with love and then you will be perceived as a self-sufficient person and there will be no reason for irritation. To summarize, I would like to say, be the author of your life, do more good, live with pleasure and then problems with others and with yourself will not arise. Good luck to you.

Causes

There are many prerequisites for such manifestations. And this may not even be one source of irritation. Add to the same dogs, for example, regular clashes with your work boss, who demands a project from you in an impracticably short time frame. Or this could include family problems that relate to the spouse’s violent alcoholism, problems with the child’s health, or a systematic lack of funds. Life in such conditions not only cannot be pleasant, it destroys a person’s psycho-emotional background and systematically weakens his nerves, which subsequently affects his psyche, his motor skills, and many other factors in his life.

Thus, experts identify several main types of possible prerequisites for the emergence of emotional tension, which subsequently seeks its outburst:

• Troubles at work are one of the common phenomena that, due to certain subtleties or specifics of the position, can affect a person’s state in different ways and cause a lot of negative emotions that seek a way out and often manifest themselves in a breakdown.
• Problems in family life - at home a person may be subject to no less, if not more, criticism than from his superiors at work. And here there is no longer an opportunity to complain to even higher management. Here you have to either endure to save the family, or break off the marriage if it comes to long-term marital alcohol addiction, violence or assault. But in this case, an interchangeable prerequisite for nervous self-torture may arise - divorce.
• Divorce proceedings – people get divorced not only because of domestic violence. There can actually be a huge number of reasons for this. But the point is that a fairly large percentage of people who are at the stage of divorce are ultimately subject to an accumulation of negative emotions, self-flagellation, worries and suffering that arise from what is happening. In such an apathetic state, people are often on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
• Cheating on a loved one does not apply to divorce proceedings due to the fact that loving people in modern life can live together without being bound by the bonds of an official marriage or the threat of its dissolution. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to be at the stage of divorce proceedings in order to be subject to eternal suspicion, outbursts of violent jealousy, aggressive manifestations, or, conversely, depression. It is worth noting that women often suffer more from such manifestations. The reason for this is the increased emotionality and sensitivity laid down in the basis of the psychology of the female body by nature.
• Financial instability is another broad category of reasons that ultimately serve as a reason for a nervous mental disorder. The constant lack of money in the family is one of the most common prerequisites for the emergence of family scandals, mutual reproaches, and complaints on this basis. This leads to a violation of the stability of the emotional background, the accumulation of daily negative emotions in the process of conflicts between spouses and, as a consequence, the release of these negative feelings in the form of a breakdown.
• The illness of one of the family members is the most common cause of emotional stress, or it would be more correct to call it overstrain; a long process of therapy for a child (children) during the fight against a serious illness is considered. Sometimes, even for a parent with a strong character, at some point it becomes very difficult and bitter to watch the course of his own child’s illness. The constant struggle for the life of a loved one - the most dear person in a person's life - the same search for funds for treatment, the search and change of the best doctors one after another, sleepless nights spent in tears and prayers for a speedy recovery - all this is looking for an emotional way out and into ultimately manifests itself in a psycho-emotional nervous breakdown.
• Pregnancy is a physiologically special condition that sometimes serves as a cause for a separate type of breakdown. Excessive swings in a pregnant woman’s mood are explained by unstable hormonal levels, which are closely related to emotional levels.
• Harassment and extortion - this category of external factors, which cause the emergence of an emotionally unstable state and the accumulation of negative energy, is most often experienced by adolescents. Young girls may encounter unhealthy expressions of sexual interest from teachers, employers, or even a parent. While young people often have to deal with bullying and cruelty from peers during adolescence, which is also a common cause of serious psychological complications. This is not surprising, because this age is considered the most vulnerable, and the psyche is still being formed.

This is not an exhaustive list of possible causes for emotional imbalance, but here are the most common ones. And in order to prevent such a dangerous phenomenon, which is looking for a way out, in time, it is advisable to undergo a test for psychological disorders in a timely manner.

Program for the prevention of dangerous and unstable behavior in adolescents

Experimental work took place on the basis of the Elista Classical Gymnasium in 7th and 8th grades.
The experimental population consisted of 116 students. There were 57 students in the experimental group and 59 students in the control group. The content of the EER is presented in Table 1. Table 1. Stages and content of the EER

At the beginning of the experimental work, we conducted a survey of schoolchildren and a survey of parents of the entire array of respondents in order to determine the propensity for danger and instability of behavior. The survey of schoolchildren was conducted using the method of diagnosing a tendency to deviant behavior. It includes seven scales on which the phenomenon under study was assessed.

From the results of the survey on the “Social Desirability Attitude” scale, it follows that this attitude has a high level - 72% of students want to be recognized in society and find a worthy place in it.

An analysis of the responses received on the “Tendency to overcome norms and rules” scale showed that 59% of students answered the questions in the affirmative, therefore they have a similar tendency.

Questions on the scale “Tendency to addictive behavior” (abuse of substances that change the mental state - alcohol, drugs, etc.) received a positive answer from 16% of respondents.

On the scale “Tendency to self-harming and self-destructive behavior,” 12% of positive answers were received. On the scale “Tendency to aggression and violence” - 41%. The ability to “Volitional control of emotional reactions” was confirmed by 39% of students, and a survey on the scale “Tendency to delinquent behavior” (tendency to illegal behavior that harms others and society) was demonstrated by 5% of respondents.

A survey of parents made it possible to determine their attitude towards dangerous and unstable behavior of children:

1. 95% of parents consider all of the listed forms of behavior to be deviating from the norm.

2. The greatest concern among the parent community is:

• alcohol consumption by teenagers – 42%;
• smoking - 47%;
• rudeness and foul language - 51%.

The remaining points were mentioned in the questionnaires, but their number is minimal, so we draw a conclusion about their local manifestations.

Almost all parents admitted (85%) that their children are left to their own devices for more than 8 hours.

In their free time from school, 32% of students go in for sports; play computer games - 63%; walking with friends - 41%, doing nothing or relaxing (listening to music, lying on the couch, talking on the phone) - 12%.

According to parents, the main reasons for deviating behavior are (presented in descending order):

• the desire of adolescents to be independent and independent - 74%;
• inability to control and manage their emotions, increased excitability of children - 71%;
• examples of violence, cruelty, impunity, immoral behavior broadcast by the media and via the Internet - 68%;
• low self-esteem, uncertainty about one’s attractiveness - 59%
• desire to get strong impressions - 52%.

Answering the question about which specialist they would turn to for help in case of problems with their child’s behavior, 43% of parents chose the class teacher; 52% chose the option “they could handle it on their own.”

62% of respondents are afraid that their child will be involved in bad company, with concerns raised by 53% of alcohol and smoking, 12% by drug use or distribution, and 16% by early sexual intercourse.

Summarizing the results of a survey of schoolchildren and a survey of parents, we came to the conclusion that almost half of the adolescents surveyed are at risk and, under unfavorable conditions, can engage in dangerous and unstable behavior in everyday life.

At the ascertaining stage, based on the developed model, we determined the criteria and indicators of adolescents’ readiness for safe behavior (Table 2).
Table 2. Criteria and indicators of adolescents’ readiness for safe behavior

Based on the identified criteria and indicators, the levels of development of adolescents’ readiness for safe behavior were determined - low, medium, high (Table 3).
Table 3. Levels of readiness for safe behavior

Readiness levels were determined in accordance with the table. If one of the criteria was at a low level, readiness was not formed. In other cases, the level was determined in accordance with a large number of manifestations of the levels.

When diagnosing the cognitive criterion, we used test tasks on the subject “Fundamentals of Life Safety” for students in grades 7-8, including questions on knowledge of possible dangers of the environment and society, the causes of their occurrence and consequences, ways to ensure personal safety, means of protection, etc. . Individual conversations and surveys were conducted to determine the level of knowledge of adolescents about safe behavior.

The severity of the psychological and motivational criterion was studied through questionnaires, observations, and the “Thinking Style” questionnaire by R. Bremson and A. Harison. The diagnostic technique is aimed at studying the characteristics of adolescents’ comprehension of the surrounding reality, analysis of life situations, solutions to the problems they face, from the perspective of their character, motivation, and value scale.

Diagnosis of states and personality traits that are of paramount importance for the process of social adaptation and regulation of behavior was carried out using a modified form “B” of the FPI questionnaire.

The results obtained during the diagnosis will allow us to correlate the behavior of adolescents with psychological characteristics.

Symptoms

Like any other human ailment, this pathological condition manifests itself in certain symptoms. An emotional breakdown can be seen in:

• mental symptoms - this can include manifestations of various phobias, generalized fear, stress disorders, panic attacks, obsessive states, as well as depression and even schizophrenia (patients often try to cope with such symptoms through alcohol or drugs);
• physical symptoms - these include weakened volitional activity or its complete absence, when individual instincts are suppressed (sexual, defensive, food), often accompanied by fluctuations in temperature and blood pressure, fatigue, tachycardia;
• behavioral symptoms - here it is necessary to note a person’s inability to perform certain activities, inability to restrain anger during communication, raising his voice, allowing insults, choleric and hysterical manifestations.

Risk group

As mentioned earlier, there are certain categories of people who experience emotional breakdown more often than others. This may be due not only to age or physical condition, but also to professional activity. For example, the same employees of clinical healthcare institutions and hospitals may be susceptible to burnout syndrome. This situation is not uncommon among medical workers. The reasons may be total emotional exhaustion, empathy for one’s work and oneself, absolute indifference to the fate and experiences of patients. Like medical workers, burnout syndrome is observed among law enforcement officers. This is no wonder: due to their professional activities, these people often become participants or witnesses of special critical situations in which the psyche is tested for strength.

So, those at risk are:

• teenagers;
• parents;
• pregnant women;
• health workers;
• law enforcement officials;
• firefighters and rescuers (a category of specialists who are in extreme conditions on duty and are responsible for the lives of others).

Why is the world unstable, and with it human life?

Everyone saw how unstable and unstable the world has become, how quickly events change and transform in it. Because of this, people change, some for the better, and some for the worse, due to the fact that nervousness increases, the fear that everything will collapse. Why is the world so unstable?

The answer can be given by the alternation of cycles, the position of the planets, and the general state of society when the planet begins to behave differently. All this is true, but another reason is inevitability. It’s a simple inevitability when at a certain point in time everyone needs to reboot. And the more people try to close their eyes to what is happening in their lives, the more likely it is that changes will affect them first.

Usually people are accustomed to stability and do not want to grow and develop; this causes shifts to begin, first on a thin layer, and then to cover the entire planet. And this instability disappears for a while when people understand what is required of them and begin to change themselves and the world around them . A person is directly connected with the world, he is an integral part of it, therefore all changes affecting the world are changes in him too. But people themselves do not suspect how they change with age, with experience, over time, and this happens smoothly, carefully, but then you look, and in front of you is a completely different person.

The instability of the world is normal , of course, there is no escape from it. And it’s stupid to think that this won’t affect anyone. No, this applies to everyone, because every person is obliged to change with the world together and make their contribution. If he doesn’t want to, then catastrophes and misfortunes will happen in his life, his life will change in such a way that he won’t want to do anything else. This even makes people suicidal.

It’s stupid to say that the world is still the same, because so many events happen in one year that it becomes scary. And a person has one support left - this is himself, his strength of spirit, thoughts, feelings, accumulated experience. All this allows you to painlessly survive even the most terrible events and at the same time remain yourself, do not become embittered, do not look for those to blame and do not pretend to be an eternal victim.

The instability of the world is not the beginning of the end, but the opportunities that are given to everyone . And if a person does not mobilize his strength and does not see how beautiful the world is and how inexhaustible it is in its diversity, then every time he will have to experience strong crises, lose, disappear, suffer. And the best thing is to be prepared for the fact that tomorrow the same thing as yesterday will not happen again, but this is a blessing.

Ways to repay a breakdown

In order to prevent the situation from worsening, it is worth making sure that it is critical. A test for psychological disorders will help determine the approaching critical point of emotional overstrain. There are actually not many ways to localize a pathological condition. This:

• independent repayment of failure;
• contacting a psychologist.

In turn, the doctor either prescribes therapeutic procedures or offers to fight the disease through pharmacological drugs.

Causes and symptoms of childhood emotional instability

A special feature of childhood lability is that it is difficult to diagnose. Mental illness can easily be confused with bad upbringing: banal capriciousness and spoiled behavior.

There are a number of reasons that accompany the appearance and clear formation of emotional lability in children:

• parenting: too strict or, conversely, lack of attention from loved ones, or spoiled;
• development of the disease, in this case emotional instability in behavior serves only as a sign.

Excessively strict upbringing leads to a child’s state in which he is in constant tension, is emotionally dependent on the world around him and reacts very sharply to any changes.

Lack of attention creates hysterical children. A labile child, demanding attention, resorts only to methods that are understandable to him - tears and hysterics. Without getting his way or achieving it, tears for the baby become the only way to communicate with adults and peers.

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Being spoiled creates a person who is “simply hard to please.” A person who brings this trait into his adult life will never be satisfied with his life; everything will always be not enough for him. It will seem to him that he is being deprived, that he is not being given something. And this is constant stress, leading to emotional lability.

It is extremely difficult to diagnose children suffering from this pathology: exhausted parents who most often resort to strict educational measures, and children most often simply do not understand what is happening.

At home, sitting on the couch and discussing the child with grandparents or neighbors, a diagnosis cannot be made. Therefore, it is necessary to contact a specialist. In this case, qualified treatment from a neurologist, psychotherapist, as well as parental support is required.

Taking action at home

If you feel that you are already on the edge, you need to give vent to your feelings and throw out negative emotions. How to do it? First of all, you need to eliminate the source of irritation. If this is work, take time off, or better yet, a vacation. If these are family troubles, go on a trip (if you don’t have the financial means, change the situation, live with a friend in another city for a few days). If this is financial insolvency, find something interesting; ways to earn extra money today are reflected in banal freelancing. Start earning money without leaving home. In any case, whatever it is, eliminate the source of your frustration. You will see how the accumulated negativity slowly fades away.

Consequences

Why is it important to localize this kind of pathological manifestations in a timely manner? Because a nervous breakdown can lead to the following unpleasant consequences:

• mental – persistent emotional disorder that develops into severe forms, as well as the threat of schizophrenia;
• physical – digestive problems, manifestations of gastritis, provoking diabetes mellitus;
• behavioral – causing harm to others, suicidal impulses.

Prevention

How to prevent an emotional breakdown? Experts give the following recommendations:

• Give vent to negativity and simmering feelings - go to the gym, pool or sign up for a wrestling class. Physical exercise is considered an excellent prevention of not only physical diseases, but also mental ones.
• Replace the irritating factor - if your husband drives you to a state of suicidal impulses, find another man. If your boss is harassing you at work, this is a reason to change jobs.
• Find yourself a hobby - a new hobby can occupy your thoughts and fill all the gaps in your free schedule, you simply won’t have time to think about the bad.
• Eliminate dangerous elements - we are talking about the use of alcohol, drugs, psychotropic substances, which not only are not able to drown out and reduce the level of feelings, but ultimately aggravate the problem.