Bad moods, Irritability and Change …
It’s that time of year – school routines have started. From kindergarten to college, few families are spared the moodiness that a change in routine brings.
For some, the irritability and moodiness is short lived. For others, it seems to be a test of daily endurance. Parents are posting on social media how anxious they are to return to daily routine, kids are posting they can’t believe the summer is over. Foul moods come as a natural response to change and the trick is to manage them effectively without harming anyone or anything.
- Understand it for what it is: a bad mood. Call it by name. Let people know what you need to help you through. Ask others who are grumpy what they need to help them through. The tough thing about the next few weeks is that there are so many grumpy people at the same time in the same places.
- Any idea what triggered that foul mood? Was it the change in routine? Are you tired? Understanding moods means understanding very normal feelings which could help prevent or lessen the next bad mood.
- Give yourself a break. This is a demanding time of year. Show respect and love to yourself and to those around you. This too shall pass – it’s a mood, not a forever thing. I, like most people, have occasionally chosen poorly or behaved badly based on my mood. See it for what it is and apologize when necessary. This shows good character.
- Make the choice to do something to end the mood. Do something positive. Calm the chaos around you. Simplify. Reduce or eliminate noise. Turn off electronics and television. Create calm and watch the mood shift.
- Tomorrow is a new day.Decide that your outlook will be positive, clear and calm. The simpler you keep things, the better you manage them. So here’s to you, and to your good choices.
Many blessings.