Frozen No More: Conquer Mood Freezing, Find Peace

The phrase “mood freezing” refers to an experiment conducted in 1984 using “mood-freezing pills.” To fix the respondents’ current moods, the researchers in the study purposely irritated the participants and gave them placebos, or tablets that freeze emotions. The respondents’ emotions gradually improved as they realized that acting aggressively would not make them feel better. Instead, they chose to accept their current circumstances. Contrary to popular opinion, the researchers concluded that expressing anger can be detrimental to relationships since it can amplify negative feelings and lead to conflict. It is preferable to employ alternative coping mechanisms instead, such as accepting responsibility, engaging in relaxation techniques, and seeking out distractions.

Related: The Darker side of Our Emotions

Understanding Mood Freezing

Mood freezing is a psychological illness typified by a substantial decrease in an individual’s emotional intensity or range. Those who suffer from mood freezing may feel as though they are emotionally flat, distant, or unaffected by circumstances that usually cause them to feel strong emotions.

A decrease in interest in or enjoyment from once-pleasurable hobbies, trouble identifying or expressing feelings, and a feeling of social estrangement are just a few ways in which this could show up. It may indicate several mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and depression.

Since emotions are essential for making decisions and forming interpersonal relationships, experiencing mood freezing can hurt a person’s quality of life. In 1984, G. K. Before administering tablets intended to “freeze” their mood, Manucia, an experimenter, deliberately induced frustration in the participants.

Related: Mastering Your Emotions: A Guide to Emotional Control

The tablets were actually placebos, meaning they had no impact at all. Even still, after taking them, folks didn’t vent nearly as much. Disorder resulting from trauma (PTSD). Since emotions are essential for making decisions and forming interpersonal relationships, experiencing mood freezing can hurt a person’s quality of life.

A related study by Bushman, Baumeister, and Phillips in 2001 confirmed the first results. The experimenters’ persuasion about venting is a healthy approach to releasing bad feelings or participants’ pre-existing “high anger-out tendencies” made no difference. When they became frustrated, they let it out without the mood-freezing medications.

The amount of venting was much less when taking the medications. The reason this succeeded, according to both sets of experimenters, was that most people vented with the hopes of feeling better. They didn’t bother since they thought their mood was “frozen” and that there would be no impact.

Related: Emoji Psychology: Decoding Digital Emotions

Ways to control Mood Freezings

• Go to a quiet area and give up: You might be surprised at how much you can gain from just sitting still and thinking. As the essay discussed, it’s important to control your emotions when they’re there. It is crucial to remain composed because, let’s face it, we never know how much our comments may harm someone—we might even be that someone else.

• Taking Care of Yourself to Cope: If this uncertain period is making it hard for you to focus on your work, what can you do? According to Dr Jospitre, there are both maladaptive and adaptive coping mechanisms for high levels of stress. Maladaptive behaviours encompass actions that cause harm to ourselves or others, such as drinking, smoking, overindulging in food, and snapping at people.

• Paying attention to the root cause: Take a few actions to figure out what’s causing the emotional collapse. The tiny incidents that set off the major underlying problems are always the ones. For example: Crying over a postponed phone call can occasionally mask deeper issues with feelings of insecurity and unlove from the partner.
• Accepting the situation: Concentrate more on the things you can control, as this will easily divert your attention from the unfavourable aspects and lessen their unpleasant influence. Though it takes time, acceptance ultimately manifests. In several cases, understanding a situation completely requires moving past it.

• Creating a relaxation routine: Creating a relaxation routine that works best for you, such as going for a walk, getting a massage, or listening to music, is called relaxation practice. Each person chooses a different approach. Thus, keep experimenting until you discover what gives you the most comfort.

• Change in routine: You may be troubled by recurring designs or a serious event in your life. If you need different results, adopt a different approach. Change is the only constant, as we all know. Thus, being adaptable and devising fresh solutions to the problem can lessen emotional upheaval.
• Have a rest: Many situations can be handled by waiting until ten seconds before retaliating angrily. We lose the opportunity to react to a situation logically when we react on the spur of the moment. Reacting, therefore, has the potential to do more harm than good.
• Make contact with loved ones: “A trouble shared is a trouble halved,” as the saying goes. Keep in mind that having a phone conversation with a friend is more beneficial than posting to your online “friends” on social media.
• Stay Physically Active: Our mental health benefits greatly from exercise as well. Don’t sit there grinding your gears if you can’t concentrate on your work. Take a stroll in the park or a walk around the block.

Related: How Social Media Affects Our Attention Span

In conclusion, mood freezing may provide a brief sense of relief or control, but it’s vital to be aware of any possible risks. Maintaining healthy relationships and general well-being depend on the ability to recognize and handle emotions. Maintaining social ties and personal development requires striking a balance between emotional outpouring and management.

Not just in the Middle East but all over the world, many people are actively concerned about the current state of affairs. I find that when stress starts to get to the point that I want to give up, I take stock of all the positive things in my life and consider how much good there is still in the world. This strategy, together with self-care routines, helps me stay sane during trying times.

Related: Self Care: What It Is And What It Isn’t