2 Different Types of Mood Explained

Although it may seem simple to say how you feel, sometimes finding the words can be hard. Sometimes our emotional vocabulary just isn’t enough, and we need a little help understanding exactly how we feel. 

PYM is here for you, and would like to help you be able to express yourself even just a little bit better. 

That’s why we’ve created a list of the different types of moods, and an explanation of how they feel, so that you can put words to feelings. It’s a great step toward being able to effectively communicate your emotions, and to better understand them yourself.

Words To Describe Your Feelings

It’s such a common experience to feel something but not be able to accurately describe it. So much so, in fact, that many therapists have even come up with lists that they will give their clients so that they can be able to express themselves better. 

Here is just a small list of ways that you can describe how you feel. Keep them in mind as we move forward.

• Aggravated
• Angry
• Anxious
• Cheerful
• Depressed
• Energized
• Insecure
• Overwhelmed
• Positive
• Shameful
• Worried

As you can see, there really are two different major categories that those feelings fall into: positive moods and negative moods. 

Positive Moods

Positive moods are moods that make you feel good, although they can do that in different ways. Moods like feeling motivated, brave, calm, cheerful, hopeful, happy, proud, and self confident are all good examples of a positive mood. 

The tricky part about positive moods is that, in a lot of cases, it doesn’t have an identifiable trigger or cause. It’s something that we just accept and appreciate when it happens, instead of being able to make it happen. That’s why they can sometimes feel so fleeting, because we really don’t have any control over when or how often they happen.

An interesting side effect of being in any sort of good mood is that people often feel like they are more creative. People also tend to be more willing to help others out. There is something about a positive mood that is contagious, and the people around you may even be triggered into their own good moods in response.

Biologically, although not necessarily causes of mood, people who feel more positive also tend to have higher levels of things like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, and lower levels of cortisol. (Fun fact: PYM used the same principles when it came to choosing the adaptogens and amino acids for our Original Mood Chews!)

Negative Moods

Negative moods, on the other hand, include things like feeling angry, challenged, depressed, hurt, insecure, and worried. These types of moods are far more reliant on external factors, like getting embarrassed or having someone say something mean to you. However, they don’t always have to be. Sometimes you can just wake up in a bad mood, with absolutely no idea of why it happened. Brains can be strange like that sometimes.

Oddly enough, negative moods have also been tied with an increase in helping, although likely for different reasons than why we tend to help when we’re in a good mood. People who find themselves in negative moods help others as a way to relieve their negativity or guilt, and take the focus off how they feel. Helping just feels good, and if you’re feeling bad (either about yourself or in general), it can be just the boost you need to get over the hump.

Because bad moods can be related to stress (as we’ll discuss in a minute), people who often find themselves in bad moods may have higher levels of cortisol in their bodies. They may also suffer from low levels of those important, feel good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. 

What Factors May Affect Your Mood

Although you can’t often actively cause a positive or a negative mood to happen, there are a variety of different factors that play into the types of moods that you experience on a regular basis. 

If you’ve noticed that you’re more cheerful than normal or that you’ve been exceedingly cranky lately, take a step back and evaluate the following factors to see if you can narrow down what may be going on.

Sleep

Sleep is one of those things that so many people take for granted. When we’re younger, it’s much easier to really burn the candle at both ends. 

However, every year that goes by makes the effects that sleep deprivation can have on both mood and the body more significant. Mood and sleep have been tied together for many years, especially the negative impact of sleep deprivation. 

Stress

Your stress level can impact your mood as well. People with low stress levels tend to be in good moods more often, while those who are under larger amounts of stress are more likely to be in bad moods. Stress can also affect you physically, causing headaches, fatigue, chest pain, and muscle aches. Dealing with chronic issues like that can also cause you to be in a bad mood.

Diet

One final thing that can have an impact on how you feel is the things that you choose to put in your body. Caffeine, sugar, and simple carbs may contribute to higher levels of anxiety and depression. Drinking enough water, and eating healthy, whole foods may be able to help give your body the right vitamins and minerals that it needs to let it run smoothly.

In Summary

Mood can be hard to describe, but if you learn what factors can affect it (whether positive or negative), the likelihood that you’ll experience the types of mood that you want increases. 

PYM wants everyone to have the knowledge to be able to make their life exactly what they want it to be. While you can’t totally control the way you feel, you have the ability to help steer your life in the direction you want it to go.

Sources:

List of Moods, Behaviors, Situations and Thoughts - Texas Health and Human Services

Sleep and mental health - Harvard Health

Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior - Mayo Clinic