Having a moody friend can be quite a challenge. For one, you’re going to need extra patience to handle unpredictable mood swings that may easily ruin an otherwise cheerful environment. In order to preserve your relationship with them, you‘ll have to learn how to deal with a moody friend.
In normal situations, moody people tend to be avoided by others because no one knows when their emotional Russian roulette might fire up.
This constant switch between moods can be stressful to anyone and they would rather find someone else to hang out with instead of dealing with all the drama that follows.
# Keep your calm and carry on
When a moody friend has constant shifts in emotional states, it can sometimes trigger a negative reaction which can be anywhere between annoyance, anger, or frustration. Letting these take over you won’t help you or your already agitated friend which is why it’s important to always practice being calm when your friend lapses into their mood swings to be able to handle the situation effectively.
# Don’t take their sudden mood shifts personally
A friend’s mood swings should not be taken personally. For one, it will help you keep calm to effectively address their behavior later on and most importantly, your friend’s moodiness isn’t likely caused by something you did.
Keep in mind that moody people themselves sometimes don’t understand their own feelings so it’s better not to take it against them.
# Learn to read between moodsA friend’s mood swings usually have specific triggers which you will eventually recognize the more time you spend with them.
Recognizing what these triggers are will allow you to know when to give your friend some space to process their emotions, as well as to give you training experience in calming your friend down in case the situation gets out of control.
# Ask what’s wrong instead of telling them
The act of asking is a gesture that’s always related to empathy. If you ask a friend “what’s wrong?” you exude an image of concern and understanding compared to telling them an insensitive statement such as “what you’re feeling or doing is wrong”. Doing the latter invalidates their feelings and makes them less likely to open up and listen to what you might have to say to them later on.
# Learn when to give your friend some spaceSome moods, especially the aggressive and violent ones are best to be given some time to dissipate instead of attempting to reason them out of your friend’s system while they’re in the moment.
On top of the risk of conflict from continuing to attempt to talk to them while in such moods, people will need a bit of a cool down period after a mood swing in order to be receptive to reasoned conversation.
# Give your friend a change of sceneryA fit of blues or crankiness can be washed away by something simple as a quick walk and talk or by something a bit more adventurous like an overnight road trip to a place you’ve never visited before.
Changing the scenery allows you to hijack the emotions associated with their mood swings. By taking your fr