There are a great number of factors and circumstances that may cause irritability. Getting to the heart of what is causing it is likely to involve some searching. The question is if you want to start by calming down that irritability and preventing it from escalating, what can you do?

Some of you may relate to this:
Let’s say you’ve made a choice in your past that put a strain on your finances and you vowed that you’d never do anything to put yourself in that position again. A substantial period of time elapses and your finances are starting to look pretty good then BAM, you do it again. You have a slipup that puts another strain or complication on managing your finances. Maybe you saw an opportunity to increase your income with what looked like a promising venture at the time. However today you’re mentally beating yourself up and asking why this happened again – which is making you feel irritable.

Here’s one perspective:
The ‘slipup’ put a strain on managing your finances much like, for example, if you went to the gym and lifted a heavier weight that put a strain on your muscles.
What happens when you lift a heavier weight?
Your muscles ache for a bit longer then they’re back to normal. The next time you work out you are more aware of that heavy weight and avoid it because you remember the pain you felt last time. What else can happen?
A year later, you’ve been exercising regularly and you’re feeling physically fit so you decide to give the heavier weight another go. What happens next?

1. In the next few days you find that your muscles ached a little less but they ached nevertheless, more than you like, or
2. You feel the same pain as the first time and feel irritated that you pushed your muscles too hard but at the same time notice that you didn’t hurt your muscles to any significant degree, or
3. You find that, although lifting weights is important to toning your muscles, the weight you are lifting does not have to be that heavy and you will still get the same toned results – with less or no pain.

~Whether you can relate to this particular example and the three outcomes or not, generally what do you come away with?

~If you feel that it’s created somewhat of a calming affect on you, what specific way of thinking makes that happen?

~How can you apply this way of thinking to other areas of your life?

 ~Lesia S.