Are you blaming your cranky mood on PMS when it is not even “that time of the month”? Have you been blaming work for that irritable mood you have when you get back home and have dinner with your family?
Well, the reasons for an irritable mood in our day-to-day life are many; however, there are “real” reasons that are responsible for our irritability.
Some of these are psychological causes like stress, anxiety, depression; physical causes like sleep deprivation, ear infections, toothaches; hormonal causes like menopause, hyperthyroidism; and even lifestyle choices like drug use and alcoholism.
If your irritable mood is not because of a health condition and you wish to snap out of it and enjoy the good things in life, you are in the right place.
Irritable moods are not fun for the one experiencing it or the others. So, here are a few ways you can control yourself when you feel like you have been driven up the wall.
1. Find The “Annoying” Source
The best way to reduce your irritability is by knowing what caused it in the first place. When you do that, you will be able to address the problem in the right manner.
So, knowing what caused you to feel irritated is an important way to get rid of it. If you don’t, you are probably going to feel way more irritated for not being able to find the reason why you were irritated to begin with!
Most often, the reason for your unpleasant mood may turn out to be silly even though your thoughts and reactions may seem big.
2. Accept The “Little” Things
Sometimes, it is the “little” things that make you feel irritable. For example, if you weren’t the one who caused that stain on the couch but your roommate or mother blamed you for it, it could cause you to feel the way you feel.
So, if there are trivial situations causing you to feel irritated, even if it may seem silly, accept the cause of your irritation and crankiness and that is half the job done to kick your moody self.
3. Give Your “Soft Side” A Chance
When something gets on your nerves and you cannot seem to control yourself, be kind to yourself first.
Think of your best times – it could be having an ice cream with your friends or cuddling your pet – and it could probably bring you to calm down.
You could also look at yourself in the mirror and have a conversation with yourself to help you understand that you are not that angry person.
Once you are calm enough, take some time to think about how your behavior would have affected those around you. Give your happy self to take control over your moody, cranky self when you feel irritable, irrespective of the cause.
4. Kick That “Cup-Of-Joe” Habit
Most of us begin our typical morning with a cup of coffee. While a cup of coffee in the morning might not do much harm, the amount of caffeine you have in a day may affect your mood.
Having a cup or two of coffee (75 mg of caffeine per cup) may improve your mood, but higher intakes can cause an increase in anxiety levels, nervousness, and jitteriness all of which result in an irritable mood.1
So, if you are in the habit of surviving your day with lots of coffee, find a healthier way to survive like munching on trail mixes or having whole fruits to keep you up and full.
This way you are doing yourself and the others a favor by getting rid of your crankiness.
5. Get Some “Me” Time
Sometimes, feeling irritated is probably your mind telling you to take a break from the hustle and bustle of your busy schedule.
It may be your body’s way of telling you that you need to take a break. So, give your mind and body a break from work – listen to music, take a short walk, do a bit of light reading, meditate, or even take a warm bath.
Do whatever it is you can to bring yourself to feel positive and slowly involve yourself back to your work without thinking of it as a burden on your shoulders.
So, if you feel like you are about to explode and cannot handle the pressure at work or at home or even in your head, follow these simple yet effective ways to control yourself.
Take baby steps to change the way you feel about yourself and the others and you will eventually find yourself doing it as though it came to you naturally and effortlessly.
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