Anxiety & Irritability

Does anxiety make you irritable? It certainly can. Irritability is just one of the many ways that anxiety manifests. And it's absolutely true for me.

The problem with that is people don't often recognize irritability as a manifestation of anxiety. I have been accused of "just being a bitch." And while my personality borders on the bitchy side, my anxiety definitely contributes to that. I think the difference between someone who is bitchy is that they choose to be that way. With anxiety, you get no choice. It's a knee-jerk reaction - an over-reaction - to the environment due to the internal stimuli. It can take an insurmountable amount of time to master the skill of controlling your reactions when anxiety is at play.

What people see is someone who cannot keep her cool, is always yelling, and has no compassion. What they cannot see is what's going on inside of my head. They don't know that I'm actually suffering a painful existence with the alternate reality that my anxiety has created. It's as if someone is following you around constantly reminding you of every possible disaster that could happen, making you question everything in the environment. Am I going to die? Is my child going to fall off the balcony? Will I lose my job if I call in sick, even though I'm actually sick?? All of these thoughts and more bombard me from moment to moment, every single day of my life.

So, if I ever come across to you as rude, cold, indifferent, angry, irritable, distant, restless, or a combination of any of those, please know that it's not you (or at least, I hope it's not you). It's me. And chances are, I know that already. And I guarantee you that I'm trying! Please be patient with me and give me some grace. Thanks in advance!!