I have very rapid mood swings, what's the best way to manage them so no one gets hurt?

STOP. BREATHE. THINK. ACT. I learnt it in primary school. Our principal used to tell us to stop and think before we act. Practice mindfulness, I would say. Be aware of what you do, your surroundings and not letting your mind go into auto-pilot. If you think your mood swings are affecting people around you then reflect on your actions as much as possible. Every action and thought has its consequence on you and the people around you. So think about those consequences, imagine what they could for each action and thought that you enable. This should do the job. Hope this helps.

Mood swings can be scary for everyone involved. A good way to manage them would be to first determine what sort of "trigger" may be causing these mood swings. If you know what may lead to one, you can better prepare in advance for it to occur. Once you have an idea on the trigger, think of ways to calm yourself down should that trigger appear. Perhaps counting slowly, removing yourself from the situation, or a mental exercise to not focus so much on whatever may be causing the mood swing. It would also be great to confirm with those in your life that you do not want these mood swings to hurt them, so that they know you are aware and working on preventing that. They may also be able to contribute helpful ideas to address them.

If you feel that you have mood swings that not only change rapidly, but also could or might cause harm to others, perhaps you might want to ask yourself if its time to talk to a professional healthcare provider. Whether its a counselor, a therapist, a psychiatrist or psychologist, or even your own physician. But getting properly treated and ruling out the cause of your rapid mood swings could be very beneficial to both yourself and to others! The best way to avoid possible harm to yourself or others is to be seen and possibly treated. There could various reasons or causes to your mood swings. The best thing to do is get to the cause of them. Good luck to you!