If your moods feel unpredictable—fine one moment, irritable or low the next—you’re not imagining it. What doesn’t help is being told you’re overreacting or that you should just “calm down.” Mood shifts are often the body’s response to internal changes, not a personal flaw. Hormones, blood sugar, stress, sleep, and inflammation all influence how emotions rise and fall. When those systems are under strain, emotional steadiness becomes harder to maintain. The truth is this: your