This article will center on explaining why you may be feeling irritable and intolerant of others. It will also show ways you can cope with feeling like this.

Why am I feeling irritable and intolerant of others?

There are several reasons why you may be feeling irritable and intolerant towards others. And even though it is normal that in some moments in life you will feel more irritable or intolerant of others. You should always keep an eye on how long this goes on, and how intense it feels since it can be related to something more than a common reaction.

You can become more irritable and intolerant of others because you are experiencing a vitamin deficiency. Sometimes when a person is experiencing a deficiency of vitamins B1, and B6 they can feel more irritable.

It can also happen when the person is going through some hormonal imbalance. Hormones that will often make you more irritable and intolerant are testosterone, and some of the hormones that are produced in the thyroid, such as T3, T4, and TSH.

Low levels of testosterone will usually have that effect on the person. And hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism can both lead you to feel more irritable.

Aside from that, you may also become more irritable because of low blood sugar. And that is why you may want to keep a healthy diet. Another matter that can cause you to become more irritable and intolerant is having sleeping problems.

That is because when you don’t sleep, you don’t give your brain the chance to rest from the day that just ended. This can affect your energy levels, your ability to focus, and even your mood, making you more irritable and intolerant. As you are dealing with an increased stress level, you may also feel like that.

Feeling irritable and intolerant to others can also be a sign of many mental health conditions. It is a common sign of depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. And it can also happen to women that are going through premenstrual syndrome, people with post-traumatic stress disorder, and even people with dementia.

When a person is struggling with chronic pain or substance withdrawal they may also become more irritable and intolerant of others, like people that have gone through some brain injury.

As said here, many reasons can lead a person to feel more irritable and intolerant to others, and having a doctor’s appointment may be a first step towards understanding what is happening to you.

If it is something related to your body, or the way you feel is related to your emotions, and the situations going on in your life. If after careful examination with your doctor you have discovered it is most related to your emotional condition, and your lifestyle, know that there are some things you can do to feel better. Let’s discuss what they are.

How can I cope with feeling irritable and intolerant of others?

If you have realized that you feel more irritable and intolerant because of how you live your life, and because of your mental health condition, here is what you can do.

Start treatment

If you are feeling irritable and intolerant, it can often be a sign of stress or some mental health condition. Looking for professional help will be a way for you to try and work through all the emotions that are bottled up inside you.

You can try and look for a therapist, with which you will create a safe, non-judgmental space, in which you can talk about your feelings. There you can maybe understand the roots of what is making you more irritable and intolerant, what has been triggering these feelings, and how to deal with them more positively.

Take a deep breath

Having some breathing exercises you can do when you are flushed with these emotions can help you not act on them in a way that can harm you. Make a point of, each time you feel overwhelmed, taking some deep breaths until you can feel yourself getting calm once again.

Focus on mindfulness

In the same way as the breathing exercises, mindfulness, and many other forms of meditation can help you feel better. You can practice mindfulness as you feel overwhelmed, but you can also take meditation as a regular daily activity, which will help you center yourself rather than being eaten by all that anger.

Reduce stimulants

We tend to be taking that small cup of coffee even through the afternoon. We lose track of the fact that those can make us more agitated, lead us to a caffeine crash, and even make it harder for us to have a good night’s sleep.

Try to take fewer stimulants, and stop any caffeine intake at the beginning of the afternoon, so you can improve your mood, and try to sleep better.

Try to work on your sleep

Your sleep quality is completely connected to how you will feel the next day. After several nights of not sleeping well, you can begin to feel more irritable and intolerant of others. To prevent that from happening, try to practice good sleep hygiene.

Go to bed at a similar time every night. Stay away from screens right before going to bed, and make your room a comfortable place. Don’t have any bright lights in it, and have a light dinner before going to bed. All of that will prepare you for a good night’s sleep.

Exercise

Exercising is a known scientific way to deal with feeling irritable and intolerant. Since those can often be related to stress, when you exercise, you will reduce the level of stress hormones such as cortisol. You will also get a rush of feel-good hormones, such as endorphins, which will easily improve your mood.

Aside from that, there is another benefit you can experience through working out. It can make you tired, and improve your sleep quality. So if you feel more irritable and intolerant because of the quality of your sleep, exercising may help you with that as well.

Work on your negative thoughts

We will often become more stressed, irritable, and intolerant when we are in a pattern of negative thinking. If you feel that is what is happening to you, you may want to try and work on those.

Talk to other people, and listen to what they may have to say. Gaining a new perspective in life can not only make your problems easier to deal with but make you less irritable and intolerant as well.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Why am I feeling irritable and intolerant of others?

Should I cut people off when I feel irritable and intolerant?

Before cutting off people from your life, or damaging your relationships, you should try to understand what is happening to you. Why are you feeling so irritable and intolerant, and what are the things you can do to try to feel better?

If later on, you realize that you have improved in some relationships, but others continue to make you feel irritable and intolerant, it may be time to understand what is happening in this relationship, and then it may be the time to consider if you want to have this person in your life and if it makes sense to have them if you are feeling like this when you are around them.

What is the 3 3 3 rule for anxiety?

The 3 3 3 rule for anxiety is a form of breathing exercise that can help the person that is feeling anxious to relax. A person can do this as many times as they deem necessary.

The first thing they should do, when they begin to feel anxious, is to try and name three things they see around them. Next, they should name three things they can hear, and finally, name three of their body parts. By doing so, the person will focus more on the present, and will most likely step away from the things that are making them anxious.

What are the types of anxiety?

Anxiety is a common feeling that everyone will experience at some point in their lives. But sometimes, it can become more intense, and related to a specific topic, leading to anxiety disorder.

There are many types of those, and they often relate to the main cause why a person is anxious. It can be that it manifests itself as Agoraphobia, which is a type of anxiety in which the person fears a determined place or situation. Anxiety can also happen as a reaction to a medical condition.

One intense form of anxiety is Generalized Anxiety Disorder, in which the person can feel extreme anxiety in even the most ordinary events. Panic disorder is one in which the person will repeatedly have peaks of anxiety that will manifest intensely.

Separation anxiety disorder is a form of anxiety in which the person may fear losing their loved ones. And because of this fear, they will feel extremely anxious. Social anxiety disorder is the fear and sense of avoidance one may have when in social situations.

Phobias are anxieties a person can have when faced with a specific matter. People can have phobias of heights, or snakes, for example. And finally, there are unspecified anxiety disorders which are anxiety disorders that are intense but don’t meet the criteria for the other disorders.

What is a nervous breakdown?

A nervous breakdown is what happens when a person is going through an intensely stressful situation, and as a reaction to it, they can feel like they are unable to function normally, and do the activities they would normally do in their day-to-day life.

It is often what happens when the person feels completely emotionally and even physically overwhelmed by some events. It can go on for days, and sometimes even months.

Can social anxiety lead people to be angry?

Yes, as with any form of anxiety, having social anxiety can lead a person to become angry. But not only that, when a person has social anxiety, they will also have higher levels of anger suppression, meaning anger that they don’t allow themselves to manifest.

This can have a harmful consequence on their quality of life, and overall sense of well-being. It can also explain their higher rates of depression since they can often feel more stressed than other people.

Conclusion

This article showed what are the main reasons why you might be feeling irritable and intolerant of others, it also explained ways you can cope with feeling like that.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write them in the section below.

References

https://www.everlywell.com/blog/b-vitamins/causes-of-irritability/

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/amp/article/irritability-and-feeling-on-edge#causes

https://www.verywellmind.com/8-things-to-do-if-you-feel-irritable-5081875

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Why am I feeling irritable and intolerant of others?