If I can give advice on what to do if you’re being irritable, it’s only because my dwarf persona would be grumpy. If I’m hungry, I’m grumpy. Tired, I’m grumpy. Got less than A in a test, I’m very grumpy. I’m (sort of) joking, but I have learnt that being a Phil when everyone else is being Pegasus serves neither me nor the people who have to endure me. Dylan Moran’s irascible Benard is hilarious on TV but in real life you’d want to shove a lollypop in his mouth and tell him to get over it.
So what can you do when the world is annoying you?
Identify the cause: There’s usually a cause, even if it isn’t obvious. Maybe you are hungry (hanger is real people) or tired (tanger) or worse, both (you guessed it – thanger!) but if you can do something about the situation, do! Don’t just revel in your grumpy little cocoon. Is it happening often? Go to bed earlier, even if it means sacrificing some late night social media time, or carry snacks in your bag for when the hunger monster starts to rear it’s ugly head. If you really can’t understand why, it can be helpful just to remember that it is just a feeling and that person tapping their fingers on the desk isn’t doing it deliberately to drive you crazy.
Remove yourself from triggers: If something, or someone, is causing you to be irritable, then maybe they aren’t someone you want to be around. If you can’t avoid them work out a strategy where you smile politely and move on, and then give yourself some space to breathe and feel better about the situation.
Try to cheer yourself up: I think sometimes people get a little bit stuck in their irritable ways and don’t really want to drag themselves out of it. Positivity comes from within. Take a deep breath and realise that the world is still pretty lovely, even if it seems annoying today. If you need some inspiration, I wrote about gratitude here. Would a cup of tea make you feel better? (The answer for me is usually yes). Or better yet why not try to do something nice for someone else: making someone else happy is a sure fire way of putting some positivity back into your life.
It seems like a silly thing but there are times where I wouldn’t want to be around me, and I want to work hard on not being a grumpy guts. So I hope you enjoyed my two cents on the matter, and if you have any advice for when you’re Oscar the Grouch please do let me know!
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