Can stress cause me to have a short temper?

Hi. It’s Jenny at AnxietyBoss.com. Our question today is from Martha in New York City. Can stress cause me to have a short temper?

Stress can absolutely cause someone to have a short temper. Along with a short temper, you can also experience unexplained anger and seemingly irrational crying. You may find yourself yelling at others for miniscule problems or even hitting inanimate objects out of frustration. This isn’t unusual behavior for being under a great amount of stress; however, this type of behavior should be treated either through self-treatment or with the assistance of a doctor.

Fortunately, even though you may not be able to easily rid yourself of your stressful situation, you can control how you’re reacting to it. First of all, if you are able to pinpoint what is causing your stress, then you may find that it’s much easier to contain your angry outbursts.

Then look at how you’re dealing with your stress. Is it in a healthy manner or are you turning to smoking, drinking, overeating, sleeping, and procrastinating? Take notice of how you’re dealing with the situation and change it if need be. Only you can change how you’re feeling.

Secondly, try to see the situation from a more rational point of view. Is this something that you can change? Can you turn this into something positive? Is this something that will matter to you in a few years? Is it really worth your energy? Do you find that you bottle up your feelings more than you express them? Do you find that stressful people surround you? Remember that you are capable of turning this entire situation around to make it more positive.