Do you know what makes you grumpy? I know 4 things that are guaranteed to put me in a foul mood: if I am hungry, if I haven’t gone outside for fresh air and (hopefully) sunshine, if I haven’t been productive, and if I’ve had a bad night’s sleep. What happens when I enter this irritable and unpleasant emotional state? I pollute the entire emotional environment around me. Good times for all, huh?

Being able to pinpoint the source of my irritable, grumpy, and downright sour emotional state was incredibly helpful in finding ways to eliminate these unpleasant emotions. To be clear, not only are these emotions unpleasant for those around me, they are extremely unpleasant for me as well. I make sure I have regular meals or I pack a snack. I get outside every day to feed that need of fresh air and sunshine. I make productivity a priority (this is a big one for me, especially on the weekends). And if I get a bad night’s sleep, I try to plan a 10 minute nap during the day to take the edge off. Voila! Grumpy-gills is gone!

What makes you grumpy? It’s really important for each of us to know what effectuates this toxic emotional state so that we can avoid it, if possible. I am, now, unapologetic about my triggers—they are a part of my make-up—but consciously knowing them allows me to avoid them by being proactive. “I’m hangry,” is us trying to excuse bad behavior. So is, “I’m tired.” Of course there is a reason we are grumpy, but instead of excusing it, let’s try eliminating it. What do you say? Are you in?

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth