Let us know if this sounds familiar…
You wake one morning feeling a little irritable, and your family catches on and asks why you’re grumpy…
Instead of letting them in, you respond, saying you’re fine and they are exaggerating.
Denying how you’re feeling won’t help matters. In fact, it can even make you feel worse. Now, you don’t have to tell everyone you know how you’re feeling 24/7. However, you’d be surprised how therapeutic venting can be.
Even if there is nothing your friend or family member can do, talking does help.
Think About The Reason Behind Your Irritability
Sometimes an event can make us irritable, such as accidentally burning your meal or breaking something. But that’s not always the case.
Sometimes we can feel frustrated or upset and not even know why.
It’s possible something or someone in your life is causing you stress, but it hasn’t fully sunk in yet. If you’re not sure and would like to find out, try looking for patterns. Is there a certain time or day of the week you catch yourself feeling irritable?
If so, take some time to reflect.
Here’s an example. If you catch yourself feeling irritable late at night or early in the morning, that may be a sign you aren’t getting enough sleep.
Take a Break
Almost everything takes longer and feels much harder when you’re frustrated. When you’re not feeling your best, generally the best thing you can do is call it a day.
Now, calling it a day is not the same thing as quitting. It’s simply a matter of listening to your body and understanding its limits.
Change Your Thoughts
When something isn’t going your way, it’s so easy to let negative thoughts take over.
Here’s something for you to think about…
Which of the following thoughts do you think would help you feel better faster?
“I can’t believe I slept through this meeting. My team must be so disappointed in me. What if I get fired?”
Or,
“So, I slept in this morning and missed my meeting. I am going to call my boss and apologize. I think I will go to sleep early tonight so I can get up early tomorrow.”
In both scenarios, the person slept in and missed their meeting, which can be frustrating… that is, if you let it be.
Looking at the facts and challenging negative thoughts may not be able to eliminate irritability completely. But it can certainly take the edge off.