Causes of Crankiness:
Self Control: People on diets are known to be irritable and quick to anger, researchers David Gal and Wendy Liu find. They just don't welcome messages that nag them to control their behavior. "People who attempt to practice more self-control are attracted to aggressive art and public policy appeals, according to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Sleepless Night: If we pull an all-nighter or experience a sleepless night we might be very cranky and moody next day. The sleep-deprived brain will swing to extremes of euphoria or crankiness, neither of which is good for decision-making. Sleep deprivation shuts down the brain's key planning and decision-making regions, Matthew Walker and his UC, Berkeley research team found.
Shift Work: Though shift workers may get 4-5 hours of sleep a night, they build up an increasing sleep debt. As time progresses, fatigue increases. Trouble is they become more irritable, and then it's easy for anger to flare as they take out frustrations on family, and fellow workers. Check tips from the Healthy Shift Worker and the Mayo Clinic for better sleep
Nasty Role Models People around you greatly influence your actions, Nancy Grant Halvorson notes in her review of Robert Sutton's, Good Boss, Bad Boss. Here is why...
Throughout Good Boss, Bad Boss, Sutton emphasizes the enormous power of social influence. We emulate the people around us, often unconsciously. And as he writes, "emotions are remarkably contagious." Anxiety, cynicism, selfishness, and negativity rub off. So if you are surrounded by cranky jerks, you just might begin to behave that way yourself without realizing it.
Mirror neurons in your brain are equipped to mimic other people’s feelings or reactions, either for well-being or toxins.
Chores An overload of mundane or housekeeping chores can be overwhelming and frustrating, leading to irritability and crankiness. This can be especially true if the whole load lands on one person after a work day or on the weekend. Every time we send a message to our brain about how much we hate doing chores, the stronger the aversion to chores becomes.
Stress "Symptoms such as headaches, irritability and depression can actually be signs that your stress levels are too high," Beth Rifkin says. When people habitually react to challenges poorly they keep wiring for more of the same. Cortisol is released in the brain, causing people to be indecisive, poorly organized and cranky. Over time, cortisol can literally shrink your brain. It may be impossible to resolve issues or embrace growth, but it doesn't have to be that way, if you begin acting in the opposite direction.
Genes The reality is that genes can make women cranky, though I am wondering if a comparable study was done with men. "Genetic variations that deal with the body's mood management chemistry are linked with anger, aggression and hostility in women," according to a University of Pittsburgh study. "The results counter some common beliefs that women are to blame for their hostility. And genetic tests for anger could help predict a woman's likelihood of other anger-related diseases." Women who had greater tendency toward aggressive and angry behaviors had lower levels of serotonin in their system.
The only way to get past something that leads to crankiness, is to begin to work against it. And, believe it or not, your actions can even change genetic make-up. It will take some focus and work on your part. So here goes...
Antidotes for Crankiness
Find rewarding activities Most people enjoy relaxing, playing a game or listening to music. If you intentionally include activities we enjoy during the day, you are less likely to revert back to moodiness or aggressive responses, even if you are on a diet. Preferred rewards might include something other than food, for that "feel good" sensation. By diverting attention from diet or things you "can't have" focus your thoughts instead on actions you can enjoy.
Pay Back Sleep Debts "Tacking on an extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up," says Lawrence J. Epstein, medical director of Harvard-affiliated Sleep Health Centers. "For the chronically sleep deprived, take it easy for a few months to get back into a natural sleep pattern."
When banking extra hours, lengthening the hours and intensity of your sleep are critical. Your most refreshing sleep occurs during deep sleep. And when you sleep more hours, you allow your brain to spend more time in this rejuvenating period.
Create a Pleasant Workplace To avoid toxins in a work place find workers who model characteristics you desire to see more of: good listeners, collaborative team player, welcoming to diversity, and caring of others. "Imagine a workplace that builds more on people’s strengths, Dr. Ellen Weber says, "and you’ll be staring down problems that prevent growth." Tap organizational brainpower to energize productivity on the job.
Delegate tasks effectively You can choose to keep on this path or go by a new road map. At work you can avoid "doing it yourself to have it done right," by learning to effectually delegate tasks, according to Gregory P. Smith. Start by determining what you will delegate, clarify the results you want to see, define responsibilities, communicate authority over the delegated task and set a timeline. To prevent problems, plan a series of follow-up meetings. And, to avoid having the whole delegated task dumped back on you, stick to the delegation program.
At home, enlist family help by explaining how you feel. Create a list of chores that need to be done and have the family sign up for the jobs and offer plenty of praise and thanks for jobs well done, followed up by a reward system.
Do the opposite The more you work in an opposite direction to problems and stress, the more you will rewire your brain for the opposite and build new habits that work in your favor. Here are some starters:
- If you wing your days, what if you used daily targets to organize time effectively?
- Rather than vehemently expressing your thoughts, what if you stepped back and replied with honesty, yet very respecting of the other person? Serotonin, the chemical hormone for well being is emitted through respectful tone. Dangerous levels of cortisol come with poor tone.
- Instead of putting challenges aside, what if you were to team with others to solve them?
- Before letting metamessages roll out of your mouth, what if you plan to be welcoming, grateful, and encouraging of others?
- To find an alternative to busyness, what if you schedule some activities you enjoy, while you cut down on others?
- If things distract flow on the job, what if you listen to classical or ambient music as you work?
- When you tense up at work, what if you practice progressive muscle relaxation?
- Rather than sitting too much, what if you begin to exercise in ways you enjoy? Exercise keeps you mentally alert and physically fit.
Rewire beliefs and actions We can actually rewire our brain by choosing new beliefs and actions, according to Dr. Bruce H. Lipton, even if we were born with genes that tend toward anger, hostility and aggression. "The new biology reveals that we ‘control’ our genome rather than being controlled by it," Lipton finds. Because of the brain's great capacity for plasticity, we can rewire by practicing activities that bring more serotonin to our lives to experience the calm, and contentment we desire.
Where to from here? The last phase of the MITA's five phases is to reflect so you can adjust what's not working well and change it. Find out what works best as you "play" with several of these to overcome a cranky habit. The brain leaps to novelty, so why not be free to change-up what you do as you work to overcome crankiness?
Thoughts?
