How Do You Calm down from Being Irrationally Irritated?

Updated on July 12, 2012
T.M. asks from Tampa, FL
10 answers

Man am I annoyed tonight! My commute home from work was horrid...it was pouring down rain so traffic was miserable and people forgot how to drive. I had to pick up both kids from daycare. I get home and start cooking dinner....didn't pay much attention and end up burning my and DH's dinner. Luckily, I didn't burn the kids dinner. I rarely cook 2 different things, but we were having seafood and the kids won't eat that. So off I go back into the rain to get dinner for DH and I through a drive through. I already felt guilty as hell for doing fast food. Get to the drive through and there is no awning over the order window. SO, I am trying to crack the car window just enough to hear the speaker since the rain is pouring in my car. It took several minutes before anyone even came on the speaker to take my order. Then it took forever to get through the line...even though they were not that busy. Get home and the grilled chicken sandwiches are half burned. The kids are also arguing like crazy. I am PMSing and just irritable in general. None of these things are really a big deal by themselves, but compounded....I am one irritated Mama!

How do you keep your cool and relax? The kids are finally in bed and I am sitting down with a glass of wine and a book.

What can I do next?

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Featured Answers

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

When my son was little, sometimes we'd read
"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day".
Reading about somebody else s bad day just makes mine seem a little bit better.
Watching 'Chicken Little' makes me feel better, too.
On the bright side?
With this day over - it should be awhile before you have another one that goes as badly as this one did!
Tomorrow morning, wake up and say "Today is a brand new day!".

2 moms found this helpful

More Answers

T.N.

answers from Albany on

Aaaaw, what a crappy day, I'm sorry! Small wonder you're a little cranky.

Don't worry, tomorrow will be better.

Meanwhile, everyone you know and love is safe and sound and healthy? See, the day wasn't that bad after all?!

:)

5 moms found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

PMS.
That is when I get like that, too.
Anyway, I take "Hyland's Calms Forte- for adults." Whole Foods.
It works for me. Its for stress. Natural.
And I also take "Vitex" & "Dim Plus" which some women take for PMS. So.. My PMS calmed down a LOT since taking it. Whole Foods. Those people at that store are REAL knowledgeable. I just tell them "I need something for PMS... I get so irritable...." and one person, a GUY of all things, helped me for like 1 hour, showing me products and information... he even told ME "Don't feel bad, my Wife has that trouble too..." and he was so nice about it.
Anyway, so last week was my PMS time... and I hardly noticed, because I only was slightly irritable for like 2 days (versus 1 week usually), and then it was over.

Or course, everyone is different. But these things work for me. Its not "instant" mood changer, but being its natural it takes a couple of months, for me to see a difference. And it did not affect my periods at all. Just lessened the PMS irritability.

Don't feel bad.
We all get like that.

PMS irritability is different, because it is hormonal based.
And cyclical.

4 moms found this helpful
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T.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I usually do what you did, wine and a book :) Or wine and a bath, or wine and sit on the porch....lol! Apparently, the glass or two of wine is key!

Ps. I love that we are both T. M. Your post reminded me of some of my days!!

4 moms found this helpful
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D.P.

answers from Sacramento on

Well, when it rains it pours! Glad you got your wine! With all the bad stuff that happened today just tel yourself that tomorrow is going to be a good day!

3 moms found this helpful
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D.T.

answers from Muncie on

"Ok I'm done, your turn!", to the husband and I go hide in the bedroom. No wine for me though, I am with child...and obviously a goon too. Hehe.

2 moms found this helpful

X.O.

answers from Chicago on

Awww, T., I was you on Friday! Total PMSing, and the lovely ladies on this site helped me through it by indulging my rant, and encouraging me to consume some chocolate and wine :)

The other thing that helped me on one of the bitchiest days of my life was to just play with my kids and ignore my other responsibilities until they went to sleep--it was an easy dinner night-PB&J.

2 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

I give the family a heads up. I just say it.. " I am NOT in a good mood tonight."

~~~~~~Poof~~~~~~~~

They know to get their acts together, to quit asking me for things.. and they take over the dinner, which is what ever they can make themselves. even if it is sandwiches, cereal, eggs.. and then they bring me a cocktail and say.. "go talk to the moms on that mom site, we will be ok.."

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K.P.

answers from Seattle on

Yikes! That is just one big ball of crazy right there! At least you are home with some wine now though!

Usually when things get hectic, and awful like that I go sit somewhere for a minute and practice slow breathing, telling myself, in this many mins or hours it will be bedtime for the boy and then I can sit and relax. Then once I do I feel so much better. It usually helps on bad days.

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H.P.

answers from Houston on

I do just what you did--settle in with a glass of wine.

The first thing I do to try to turn things around (so that I can get off that downward spiral) is to realize that I am being irrational. I talk to myself like that. I also vent to others. Somehow, hearing it out loud helps to diffiuse it.

I do certain things to take control so I don't feel like a victim. In the drive-through case, I would have just driven on to the window. In fact, I have done that and just told them that no one was answering when I called out. Once I told them that mosquitoes were having their way at the the speaker and I didn't want them in my car.

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