9 causes of irritability and ways to cope with them

Irritation is one of the most common human emotions. And she's completely normal. This is how a nervous system on edge makes itself felt.

The most common cause is stress. More precisely, a defensive reaction to it, known as “fight or flight.” The adrenal glands release massive doses of stress hormones - adrenaline and noradrenaline - into the blood, the body mobilizes all physical resources to hit the offender or escape, and the nervous system at this time struggles to keep the body within civilized boundaries. She succeeds. But there is not much strength left to restrain oneself psychologically. This is where that irritability comes from.

However, sometimes there seems to be no obvious stress, but there is still a desire to lash out at others. In this case, we may be talking about some kind of malfunction in the body.

Lifehacker has collected nine of the most common, although not always obvious, causes of irritability. Analyze your lifestyle, diet, well-being, even the time of year - perhaps your condition is due to one of these factors.

You don't get enough sunshine

If irritability occurs in late autumn or winter, when daylight hours become shorter, we may be talking about so-called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is one of the types of depression, the development of which scientists associate Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) with a lack of sunlight.

Ultraviolet radiation affects the body's ability to produce hormones important for mood - serotonin and melatonin. In addition, a lack of sunshine disrupts the internal biological clock. A person constantly feels depressed, sleep-deprived, and chronic irritability is only a consequence of these problems.

What to do

One of the best options is to take a vacation and move somewhere to sunnier climes. Preferably with a loved one in an embrace. If this is not possible, try to be outdoors as often as possible during daylight hours, and use bright light close to natural indoors. Well, don’t plan labor feats at work during the “dark” period of the year: they require effort, and your nervous system is already exhausted.

Let’s clarify right away: the recommendations above apply only to mild cases of SAD. Seasonal affective disorder is still a full-fledged depression, and sometimes it can only be corrected by taking antidepressants and psychotherapy.

Therefore, if you suspect that a lack of sunlight is hiding behind your irritability and depression, consult a therapist or psychotherapist.

Causes of irritability

Irritability occurs as a result of a combination of physiological, psychological and situational factors. It can manifest itself during certain periods of life - during stress, illness, increased workload - or be a feature of a person’s character. The causes of irritability are divided into three groups: physiological characteristics, psychological factors and various diseases.

Physiological reasons

Sudden reactions of anger and indignation often have a physiological basis - increased readiness of the nervous system, release of catecholamines and hormones, lack of compounds that ensure balanced self-regulation. This group of reasons includes:

1. Temperament.
   Temperament traits are based on the functioning of the central nervous system. People with a mobile and unstable type of nervous organization - choleric and melancholic - are prone to irritability.
2. Changes in hormonal levels.
   Hormonal imbalance is a lack of some hormones and an excess of others. It affects the functioning of the brain, in particular the functioning of the centers responsible for the manifestation of emotions. Therefore, irritability is common in women during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause.
3. Fatigue.
   As fatigue accumulates, the ratio of excitation and inhibition processes in the nervous system changes, and the body's reactivity increases. A person’s ability to correctly evaluate incoming information and choose an adequate response deteriorates. The causes of irritability in such cases are everyday problems, communication with other people.
4. Lack of sleep.
   With inadequate sleep, the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, increases in the body. At the physiological level, the body becomes ready to fight - adrenaline is produced, glucose consumption increases, irritability and aggressiveness increase.
5. Vitamin deficiency.
   Hypovitaminosis and a lack of certain microelements negatively affect the functioning of the nervous and endocrine systems, causing mood changes, lethargy, apathy, irritability, and nervousness. Often these symptoms are triggered by a deficiency of B vitamins, iodine, zinc and magnesium.
6. Lack or excess of physical activity.
   Irritability and emotional imbalance can occur due to a sedentary lifestyle or when performing intense physical activity that does not correspond to the person’s level of training. In both cases, there is an imbalance in the processes of inhibition and excitation of the central nervous system.

Psychological reasons

Irritation is partly due to the characteristics of the human psyche, the ways in which he reacts to internal experiences and external events. Those most prone to increased irritability are those with unstable self-esteem, anxiety, and a low level of responsibility. The following factors can provoke increased irritability:

1. Stress.
   Daily mental stress, negative emotional experiences, and conflicts lead to the development of a stressful state. It is characterized by the mobilization of all body systems and the readiness to fight back against adverse influences. Increased irritability ensures a quick response to the slightest threat.
2. Frustration.
   With frustration, a person experiences a strong desire to take action to satisfy a need, but cannot carry it out - he encounters an obstacle, does not have enough resources (knowledge, time, money). As a result, he experiences disappointment, dissatisfaction, and irritation.
3. Neuropsychic exhaustion.
   A common cause of irritability is high emotional and intellectual stress, prolonged stress, which provokes a state of nervous exhaustion. At the same time, a person’s ability to work fully, communicate with people and relax is reduced. Instead, a feeling of hopelessness, irritability, and despondency grows.
4. Wrong upbringing.
   In some families, parents regularly show outbursts of irritation when communicating with each other and with their children. Gradually, the child adopts this way of responding to any unpleasant events. In adolescence and youth, irritability is consolidated and becomes a character trait.
5. Dissatisfaction.
   The inconsistency of any area of ​​life with the desired level is the cause of dissatisfaction, and as a result - irritability. Often people are not satisfied with their financial situation, conditions and content of work, and family relationships.

Mental and somatic illnesses

Irritability can be a symptom of mental disorders and somatic diseases. In case of mental disorders, the cause of irritability is the patient’s altered state of mind: emotional instability, decreased self-control, and inability to adequately assess current events are observed. In somatic diseases, there are two mechanisms that provoke irritability: primary – damage to the central nervous system or changes in the functioning of endocrine organs; secondary – long-term or severe course of the disease, worsening the quality of life. The most common reasons are:

1. Neurotic disorders.
   In neuroses, irritability is considered one of the leading symptoms; it is potentiated by insomnia and nervous exhaustion. Combined with anxiety, decreased performance, and depressed mood. Most characteristic of neurasthenia, depression, obsessive-compulsive neurosis.
2. Personality disorders.
   Psychopathy is a pathologically formed character with aggravated traits that interfere with social interaction. Patients with unstable, epileptoid and excitable type of disorder react to most situations too emotionally and impulsively: they conflict, get angry, and become irritated.
3. Schizophrenia.
   In schizophrenia, irritability often manifests itself in the prodromal period and during remissions. It is stimulated by a decrease in the ability to clearly perceive what is happening, suspicion of others, and loss of a sense of self-identification (Who am I? What am I?).
4. Epilepsy.
   In patients with epilepsy, the functioning of the brain changes, often affecting their character and behavior. A typical symptom of the disease is dysphoria - an emotional disturbance that is a combination of sadness, anger, anxiety and extreme irritability.
5. Organic lesions of the central nervous system.
   Demyelinating pathologies, neurodegenerative and vascular diseases, brain tumors, traumatic brain injuries, and intoxications constitute a group of organic neurological pathologies. In all cases, dystrophic changes in the nervous tissue occur and the functioning of neurons is disrupted. Often pathological processes cover areas of the brain responsible for emotions and behavior, as a result a person becomes irritable, impulsive, and whiny.
6. Endocrine pathologies.
   Hormonal diseases are accompanied by a violation of the humoral regulation of emotions. Depending on the nature of the hormone imbalance, the patient’s mood and behavior changes. Common causes of irritability are hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, and Cushing's disease.
7. Alcoholism and drug addiction.
   In alcohol and drug addiction, irritability is caused, on the one hand, by intoxication - organic brain damage, on the other - by withdrawal syndrome, frustration of the need for the next intake of alcohol or drugs. Other symptoms are anxiety, wariness, unmotivated hatred of people.
8. Long-term serious illnesses.
   A long-term disease that limits a person’s activity, accompanied by pain, becomes a provoking factor of emotional disorders. Patients experience depression, despondency, melancholy, followed by periods of irritability and anger.

You don't get enough sleep

Sleep is critical to mental health in general and mood in particular. If you don't get enough sleep for any reason, be it night work, insomnia or sleep apnea, daytime fatigue and irritability are the predictable consequences.

What to do

If you're having trouble falling asleep or suspect you're having trouble getting a good night's rest (for example, feeling sleepy all the time), talk to your doctor. Lack of sleep has many causes, including those that require medication. And only a doctor can select the necessary therapy.

However, you can try to normalize your sleep using home methods. General rules:

• Go to bed at the same time every day.
• Make sure the bedroom is dark and well ventilated.
• Stop using gadgets (including TV) at least half an hour before going to bed.
• Don't eat too much dinner.
• Provide yourself with physical activity throughout the day.

I'M RAGE. How to stop getting angry about anything? Instructions

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Anything can cause anger, irritation and outbursts of anger - including keys that cannot be found at the bottom of a bag, or stupid comments on social networks. Or you are denied a well-deserved (in your opinion) promotion. Or, for example, you are late for work - and suddenly a child spills freshly squeezed orange juice on a white and ironed shirt. ALL OF THIS IS VERY INfuriating. On the one hand, feeling angry is quite natural; it is a basic emotion. On the other hand, your loved ones suffer from your incontinence, and in general it’s hard to be angry all the time. At Meduza’s request, Alena Prikhidko, a candidate of psychological sciences and a specialist in the field of emotional regulation, explained what to do if you are often overwhelmed by anger, you are unable to control yourself and take it out on others (and you want to deal with it).

If you like to rage , put aside this instruction and better read about censorship on Facebook or an investigation into how Igor Chaika’s business partners receive government money because Muscovites go to paid toilets.

So, everything annoys you - and above all, this is what annoys you

Hot temper can depend on both congenital characteristics and acquired ones. In any family there are so-called patterns of emotional response: even in childhood, we learn to control ourselves by observing adults - through imitation and identification with parents or loved ones. If the elders allowed themselves aggression, then the child can learn to express his feelings by shouting and fists. Restraint is, in principle, a social skill: some people learn to manage their emotions (for example, by assessing the consequences in advance), while others are unable to cope with them. Or he doesn't want to. In addition, anger is a socially privileged emotion: a boss can express anger towards a subordinate, but not vice versa. It's the same with parents and children. If you feel that you have problems with anger management and want to fix it, consider the first step already taken.

Analyze your triggers

Triggers are situations, people, thoughts that cause acute emotions in you. For example, for parents, the most common trigger is the child’s disobedience. The traditional model of family and child rearing implies that the child must obey the parent in everything. If this does not happen, parents feel that their authority has been undermined - and this ultimately causes anger and aggression. Especially if you had before your eyes the experience of your own mothers and fathers, who resolved controversial issues by shouting or even physical punishment. Or someone may absolutely hate being late: if someone you know is late (this has never happened, and here it is again!), you literally start to shake. Anger arises where we care - and where we are especially sensitive.

Therefore, you need to study your triggers in order to prepare for the situation in advance. For example, if you know that your friend is always late, you can take a coloring book with you if it calms you down. Or turn on music that lifts your spirits while you wait. In addition, remember that any action has its own reason - even chronic tardiness or reluctance to do homework.

Be prepared for a temper tantrum

A well-known saying goes: if I had known where I fell, I would have laid some straw. If you get angry, you need to prepare in advance: think about how to remind yourself that you need to stop and not plunge into an emotional funnel. Imagine pouring hot coffee into a large cup: you pour, pour, pour - and in the end it overflows right onto your bare foot. It hurts, it’s offensive, and the consequences need to be eliminated. This would not have happened if you had watched your actions and stopped in time. But for this you need to be attentive to your feelings, know the size of the cup and the temperature of the drink. Same with anger.

If you know in advance in what situations you can experience it and in what situations it is especially difficult for you to cope with yourself, then it will be much easier for you to stop it at the very beginning and exhale. And then a breakdown will not happen. Signs of an approaching outbreak of rage can be different: someone’s fists begin to clench or their neck gets warm, someone feels like they are losing their breath. Observe yourself, remember what is happening to you, and then it will be easier to cope with the impulse.

Change your way of thinking

Emotions, including anger, are directly related to thoughts. These may be thoughts about how you have been terribly wronged, or that life is fundamentally unfair. The creator of dialectical behavioral therapy, Marsha Linehan, offers the metaphor of “Teflon consciousness.” Imagine that your consciousness is like a Teflon frying pan, from which even the remains of a burnt scrambled egg easily slide off - straight into the trash. And now the bad thoughts are slipping away, and you are peacefully sipping coffee that has not overflowed from the cup. No matter how tired the word “awareness” (or mindfulness) has become lately, that’s exactly what it is.

It is interesting and useful to look even deeper and understand what your values ​​basically influence your anger - what role it plays in your relationships with other people. Our emotions are functional: when we are angry with a person, we are trying to convey to him that his behavior is unacceptable to us. Think about how exactly you can explain this without anger? Most likely, it will turn out that the same goals can be achieved in a much less aggressive way.

Use surrounding objects for peaceful purposes

In a fit of anger, we often want to throw something at a wall or even at someone with whom we are angry. Throwing plates, throwing things, or hitting a pillow are classic expressions of uncontrolled anger. In fact, these are aggressive actions that can only fuel your anger.

You can use surrounding objects or safe words to calm yourself down. Emotional regulation specialist and Stanford University professor James Gross calls them “helping elements.” For example, in the movie “Anger Management,” Jack Nicholson’s character, a psychotherapist, taught his clients to chant the strange word “gu-usfraba” in moments of acute anger. “Gu-usfra-a-a-aba,” the clients sang and gradually calmed down: they associated this nonsense with a psychotherapeutic group, gave a pause and built a bridge between anger and the opportunity to pull themselves together.

Let's say you know how difficult it is to put children to bed, but you don't want to raise your voice or punish them. Not only the rules in relationships with children will help, but also working on yourself. For example, you can hang a print on the wall in the form of the frontal lobes of the brain (which are responsible for managing emotions) and write on it: “Calm down! Take care of your neurons! Or, for example, a colleague is annoying you for some reason. Place a postcard to yourself next to your computer with the inscription “Breathe” - and every time you feel angry, you will remember that you need to breathe - for example, on the count of ten. Finally, it is important to remember that anger is an emotion necessary for attack, so physical activity can also help deal with it.

Don’t try to “sort things out” during a quarrel

If you want to talk to a loved one about anger, it is better to do it before you get angry. You can share what upsets or annoys you and what you would like to change. Maybe you have ideas how - or want to find a way together. Try not to blame or “make claims”: this is also a kind of aggression, which again can result in a quarrel or a serious conflict. During a quarrel, in principle, you should not try to solve the problem. For most other emotions, talking about how you feel helps you cope. But with anger and anger everything is more complicated. If you're already in the heat of an argument and start talking aggressively about your problems and emotions, your anger may only intensify.

Remember that emotions can be “contaminated”

There is a relatively researched phenomenon called emotional contagion. This is an unconscious process associated with empathy: we “intercept” someone else’s emotion non-verbally, through facial expressions, gestures, and direction of gaze. Scientists say that this can even happen remotely (for example, if you watch a video), and sadness is more “contagious” than joy.

Of course, this doesn't always happen. For this to happen, the person “transmitting” the emotion to you must express emotions more vividly than you, but at the same time not worry about your feelings. Like, for example, a small and desperately sobbing child. It is important to notice such moments, protect your boundaries, not give in to other people’s anger and, again, try to remain calm.

Don't be afraid to explore yourself

Be sure to analyze yourself - after all, it won’t be worse than it is. Observe how your reactions arise: from a situation to an emotion, then to a clear thought, a desire to do something and, in the end, real action.

Let's say you're stuck in a traffic jam on the way to an important meeting. First you feel angry, then you curse to yourself, then you start to panic (“horror, I’m late, what will happen now, everything is gone”), then you feel the desire to ram the cars in front, like in GTA, and in the end you press the button with all your might beep.

If you carefully observe your anger for several days, you will begin to notice patterns in reactions and their ins and outs. For example, Emotionally Focused Therapy practitioners note that anger is often a secondary emotion that masks fear, anxiety, shame, or guilt. And anger is something of a disguise, like the lid of a saucepan, under which completely different feelings are bubbling.

Did this instruction piss you off? Let's discuss in the chat!

You eat too many sweets

Sugar is also an addictive drug. How Sugar Affects Your Mood. It stimulates the areas of the brain that are responsible for pleasure. With regular consumption of sweets, the brain gets used to the stimulation, its sensitivity decreases - and as a result, we need more and more sugar to get the same dose of joy.

To process a large amount of sweets, the body begins to release a lot of insulin into the blood - a hormone that causes cells to actively extract glucose from the blood. Because of this, blood sugar levels drop sharply. Since its rapid fall means a threat to life, the body immediately releases adrenaline. This stress hormone triggers the notorious “fight or flight” response - we described its consequences above.

What to do

Try to figure out if you are consuming too much sugar. “Too much” is, of course, a flexible concept, but there are still some officially established limits.

For example, the American Heart Association insists How Much Sugar Is Too Much:

• men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 g) of sugar per day;
• women - no more than 6 teaspoons (24 g).

The American Dietary Guidelines are a little more humane: they limit the Dietary Guidelines 2015‑2020. Executive Summary maximum sugar intake is 10% of daily caloric intake. For a person consuming 2,000 kcal per day, the maximum allowable dose of sugar is 200 kcal, or 50 g.

Please note that a standard can of cola contains 10 teaspoons (about 40 g) of sugar. If you drink one such jar every day, you are already exceeding the maximum dose established by cardiologists.

Therefore, try to reduce the usual amount of sweets - perhaps this is what will help you overcome irritability.

Recommendations from a psychologist

There are enough ways to help you overcome increased irritability, calm down and return life to normal.

What you can do yourself

• Take time for yourself. At least half an hour a day, even if you have a lot of things to do and troubles. Allow yourself to be alone with yourself and relax. Many psychologists recommend meditation: there is a lot of information and video tutorials on the Internet that will help you figure it out.
• Keep a diary. Write down everything that doesn't suit you and causes negative emotions. Analyze which situations most often provoke your irritation and try to avoid them.
• New hobby. Find a source where you can throw out the accumulated negativity. It could be anything: dancing, boxing, drawing. The main thing is that it brings joy and relief.
• Daily regime. Establish your routine, get at least eight hours of sleep, and eat healthy. Believe me, your body will be grateful for the care shown!
• Communication. Talk to someone you trust. Tell us about your problems and experiences. After all, the support of a loved one is exactly what we sometimes lack.
• Breathing exercises. If you feel irritated and angry, try to inhale and exhale deeply and slowly. This will help stop the oncoming outbreak of uncontrollable feelings.
• Going to the doctor. Not all problems can be resolved on your own. If you have a broken leg, you will not treat it at home, but will go to a specialist. In some cases, it is worth resorting to the services of a psychologist or psychotherapist if your health does not improve.

You have a hormonal imbalance

Dozens of reasons can throw your hormonal balance out of balance. Here are the most common Irritability Causes:

• premenstrual syndrome (PMS);
• polycystic ovary syndrome;
• menopause;
• hyperthyroidism - increased production of thyroid hormones;
• diabetes.

What to do

If irritability hits you on the eve of your period and goes away after it ends, you don’t need to do anything special. Just note to yourself that this is exactly your reaction to PMS, and try to reduce physical and emotional stress these days.

But if the period of irritability drags on for weeks or even months, it is worth consulting with a therapist. The doctor will conduct an examination, ask you to take blood and urine tests and, if necessary, refer you to a more specialized specialist.

You are too tired physically

A lot of physical labor or training and little time for recovery - this is the right recipe. Are you getting too much exercise? fatigue and bad mood. When your body is overloaded, the stress hormone cortisol begins to be actively produced. Among other things, it causes irritability and anxiety.

What to do

Slow down. Rest at least 6 hours between workouts and be sure to give yourself a full day off (completely free from physical labor) at least once a week. If you feel that your irritability may be due to physical fatigue, take a longer break. For example, take a vacation.

Irritability - what is it?

This emotion, unlike anger or joy, accompanies a person for a long time. Absolutely any situation throws you off balance, be it spilled tea or an untied shoelace.

Because of this, you stop expecting something good from life, and subconsciously expect something bad. And every trifle becomes a reason for anger and lashing out at relatives.

We must understand that irritability is a part of our life, and everyone faces it from time to time. However, if it interferes with normal life, work and communication with others, this is a cause for concern.

You are trying to give up cigarettes, coffee or alcohol

When you try to say goodbye to a particular habit to which you have already developed an addiction, withdrawal syndrome occurs (also known as abstinence, or withdrawal). The brain became accustomed to the effects of psychoactive substances that came with nicotine, alcohol, coffee, and drugs. And it takes time for it to start working without regular outside help.

Withdrawal symptoms include depressed mood, sleep problems, anxiety, and irritability.

What to do

Wait. When your body is rebuilt, that is, the dependence on the bad habit is overcome, you will regain peace of mind.

Sleep disorders - symptoms and treatment

Diagnosis of sleep disorders is carried out on the basis of data from a patient interview, examination, instrumental and laboratory studies.

To make a diagnosis of insomnia, it is enough for the patient to complain about difficulty falling asleep, waking up at night or early with difficulty falling asleep later, and worsening daytime well-being. However, additional studies may be needed to rule out other sleep disorders that lead to symptoms of insomnia. Polysomnography is used to diagnose OSA, periodic limb movement syndrome, parasomnias and all major sleep disorders. Circadian sleep-wake rhythm disturbances are detected using actigraphy.

The most optimal type of diagnosis of major sleep disorders is polysomnography [7], a study that allows one to evaluate the changes that occur in a person during sleep. This is the only examination method with which you can record an encephalogram, simultaneously evaluate the stages of sleep, breathing during sleep, and identify the relationship of various events (snoring, stopping breathing, leg movements, masticatory muscles, body position and electrocardiogram) with the stages of sleep and awakenings. However, the complexity of setting up and analyzing the study, the need to be in a separate room, the cost of equipment and diagnostics limit its use.

Actigraphy is a method for assessing the basic characteristics of sleep and the sleep-wake rhythm over a long period of time - from one to four weeks [8]. This method allows you to assess the stability of your sleep rhythm, for example, changes in the time of falling asleep and waking up on weekends

and working days, sleep rhythm during shift work. Used for insomnia and circadian sleep disorders. An actigraph is a compact wristwatch-sized device that is worn on the wrist and uses an accelerometer to measure motor activity and lighting.

When diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, during the examination, attention is paid to the presence of pathology of the ENT organs: enlarged tonsils, chronic rhinitis, thickening of the tongue. The total airway clearance is assessed using the Mallampati scale when the patient opens his mouth and protrudes his tongue. If in this position the back wall of the pharynx and tonsils are not visible, the likelihood of breathing problems due to blocking the lumen of the oropharynx by the root of the tongue is high. Surgical treatment of ENT pathology in this case will be ineffective. Neck circumference is assessed, an important prognostic parameter for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Its risk increases significantly with a neck circumference greater than 43 cm in men and greater than 41 cm in women.

The most accurate method for diagnosing OSA is polysomnography, but Russian recommendations for determining obstructive sleep apnea in various diseases more often mention computer pulse oximetry or respiratory monitoring.

Cardiorespiratory monitoring is a method for assessing breathing disorders during sleep on an outpatient basis, when some of the device’s sensors are installed on the chest in the clinic, and the patient places the rest independently during sleep: in the nasal passages to record nasal breathing and on the finger to assess the saturation of hemoglobin in the blood with oxygen . Sensors on the chest, in addition to its movements, record an electrocardiogram and allow one to evaluate the effect of breathing disorders during sleep on the heart rhythm and their relationship with arrhythmias.

Computer pulse oximetry is a simple research method in which a pulse oximetry sensor is placed on a finger. Another screening method for assessing breathing is recording a rheopneumogram during Holter monitoring of the electrocardiogram. In this case, movements of the chest are recorded according to data from ECG sensors. If abnormalities are detected by a pulse oximeter or rheopneumogram, then a more complete examination is necessary to make a diagnosis.

It is worth suspecting OSA if 24-hour blood pressure monitoring reveals a disturbance in its circadian rhythm—no decrease in blood pressure or an increase at night.

In case of high daytime sleepiness, to exclude narcolepsy, the patient’s condition is assessed using the multiple sleep test. Moreover, after polysomnography, all sensors remain on the patient and he is given the opportunity to fall asleep during the day for 20 minutes every two hours.

To diagnose sleep disorders, questionnaires that assess the main symptoms are additionally used.

• The Pittsburgh Questionnaire assesses sleep quality and includes symptoms of major sleep disorders over the past month.
• The Berlin questionnaire and the STOP-BANG questionnaire are used to assess the risk of OSA.
• The Epworth Daytime Sleepiness Scale assesses the severity of sleepiness in different situations.
• The Munich chronotype assessment scale identifies the duration and time of sleep on weekdays and weekends, and determines the severity of social jet lag.

You are beginning to have a mental disorder

Irritability is one of the first symptoms of:

• anxiety disorder;
• bipolar disorder;
• schizophrenia;
• depression.

What to do

Mental disorders have other symptoms as well. For example, mood swings, loss of interest in activities that previously fascinated you, deterioration of memory and concentration, suspicion, isolation, character changes. If you observe something like this, contact a psychotherapist as soon as possible.

What to do if everything infuriates and irritates a teenager

It is necessary to find out what provoked the attacks of irritability. If they are caused by an uncontrollable reaction of a child, then these outbursts pose a threat not only to the teenager, but also to others. There is no such person who would not be annoyed by something in this life. But some people manage to control their condition, while others find it difficult to do so, and teenagers are especially susceptible to attacks of aggressiveness. At the age of 11, hormonal changes begin. The active surge of hormones stabilizes after a few years, but for now the teenager has a hard time coping with his irritability.

If you leave everything as it is and do not help the teenager resist these attacks, then this will negatively affect the attitude of society towards the child. Despite signs of maturation, teenagers remain sensitive children at heart. An endocrinologist will help pacify hormones; for this, the child should be convinced to attend his consultation.

Tips for a teenager:

– make a promise to yourself every day not to conflict;

– when you feel an attack of aggression, you should take deep breaths up to five times;

– count slowly to 10;

– mentally imagine the consequences of aggressive behavior;

– in a moment of uncontrollable aggression, crumple and tear paper;

– hitting a pillow or punching bag;

- stomp;

– write on paper the words you want to say, crumple them up and then throw away the paper;

– rub plasticine into cardboard or paper;

– keep yourself busy with sports games, running;

– take a warm bath before going to bed;

– sign up for yoga, master meditation;

– praise yourself if the day went smoothly.

Are you taking medication?

Some drugs can affect your mood. Especially if you do not follow the dosage. For example, this applies to thyroxine, a medicine prescribed for insufficient production of thyroid hormones. Or prednisone Why am I so irritable? , used to combat allergies and asthma.

What to do

If you are taking any drug on a regular basis, look at the instructions, which list its side effects. If you find mood swings, anxiety, irritability among them, contact your doctor. He may be able to find an alternative medicine for you.