eliminate irritability

8 Tools To Eliminate Irritability

We’ve all had those days when we feel irritable. The littlest of things are ripe for conflict. We get into fights with our spouse and yell at our children. Our family, friends, and co-workers annoy us. Everything seems to be difficult and life in general feels miserable.

This unpleasant feeling is our body’s way of telling us that something is out of balance in our emotional, physiological, or relational life. Irritability can come from a variety of sources including fatigue, hunger, hormone imbalance, vitamin D deficiency, low-blood sugar, and emotional stress.

Most of the time we can turn our irritability around with some good self-care and nurturing. But sometimes irritability is trying to get our attention to take care of medical or emotional problems that need professional care. Here are some guidelines for keeping irritability at bay.

Get Regular Sleep

Sleep deprivation is the most common cause for irritability, emotional stress, and inability to concentrate, focus, or complete tasks. You will feel your best if you get eight hours of restful sleep each night. Resist the urge to stay up late and sleep all day during the weekends. Any change in your sleep routine is enough to through off your sleep cycle and cause irritability. If you’re feeling irritable try taking a nap. A 15 – 30 minute power nap is often enough to feel rejuvenated and refreshed.

Eat Healthy Balanced Meals

Hunger, low-blood sugar, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances are all sources of irritability that can be resolved nutritionally. Good nutrition will keep your biochemistry balanced and your body appropriately fueled to complete the tasks of the day. Eat balanced meals with a variety of colorful vegetables, fruits, and proteins to provide quality energy and nutrients to manage stress and the physical demands of living. Nuts, eggs, avocados, and other sources of protein and healthy fats are a quick and easy way to balance hormones, stabilize blood sugars, and rejuvenate your energy. If you’re feeling irritable eating a handful of raw nuts is a good quick fix.

Take A Break

The constant demands of life are sure to make anyone feel irritable. Give your mind and body breaks throughout the day to eliminate emotional stress and calm your mind. If you’re feeling irritable take some deep breaths, go for a walk, meditate, or read. Think of them as “micro vacations” to rejuvenate your life.

Move Your Body

Stress and sitting all day can make you feel irritable and achy. Exercise releases emotional energy as physical energy, balances your hormones, and keeps your body functioning at its optimum level. If you’re feeling irritable hit the gym, go for a run, ride a bike, or take a walk. Or do some yoga or other stretching exercises to relax and focus your mind, release emotions, and create a state of mindfulness. Moving your body will help to clear your head and make you feel good about yourself.

Write It Out

Writing your thoughts and feelings down will help you to release your emotions and identify what may be triggering your irritability. Writing down what you are grateful for can help you see the sunny side of life and turn your mood around.

Nurture Yourself

Daily acts of kindness and self-pampering to yourself will boost your self-esteem, release stress, and help you feel good about yourself and your life. Get a massage, take a bath, or buy yourself flowers. Doing things that make you feel good will eliminate irritability and rejuvenate your soul.

Spend Quality Time With People You Love

Sharing quality time and attention with the people you love strengthens relationships, decreases stress, stabilizes emotions, and balances hormones. Spending quality time with people you love makes you feel happy.

Seek Medical Help

If you’re experiencing chronic or recurring irritability then it is time to seek professional help. Ongoing irritability can be a symptom of deeper issues that need resolution either medically or emotionally. Your doctor can test your biochemistry and screen for hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, and other medical problems that may be causing your irritability. A counselor or therapist can help you to process your emotions, identify the source of your irritability, help you heal your relationships, and teach you relaxation skills, communication skills, and other therapeutic techniques for managing your emotions and irritability.

The above guidelines will help you to alleviate the sources of irritability by decreasing your stress, balancing your hormones, stabilizing your emotions and keeping your mind and body in optimum balance. As you eliminate irritability from your life you will feel happier and become a more joyful person. Your relationships and friendships will improve and you will find more happiness in your life.

By Carolyn Almendarez

I want to hear from you. How do you eliminate feelings of irritability in your life? Share in the comments below.


Are you feeling irritable, unhappy, or dissatisfied with your life? Contact me today for a free 15-minute consultation and lets start a conversation on how I can best help you to regain peace, joy and vitality in your life and relationships.

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Flickr photo by chad magiera

2 Responses

  1. S Flynn

    Great post, Carolyn! The two things I do best to reduce stress are good sleep and regular exercise. I have a harder time saying no to things writing things down. Thanks for the good suggestions!

    • Carolyn Almendarez

      Sleep and regular exercise are two of the best tools for reducing stress and irritability. Keep up the great work! 🙂

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