Top tips to cope with life's irritations

Whether it's a screeching car alarm, someone cracking their knuckles, someone eating noisily, feeling rushed all the time, life can be irritating.  I call these my ‘nails down a blackboard’ moments 😊

But it doesn't have to be... Here are my top tips to scratch the itch -

1) Be prepared to accept.

Many of life's great annoyances are things that involve other people. Be aware of other people’s needs, quirks and personal space and try to give it to them.

A 2017 Uni of California study found that accepting situations that many usually irritate you can make you a happier person by helping you to experience fewer negative emotions in response to stressors.

The other part of acceptance is to realise that the irritation you are giving the ownership and label of to someone else, is possibly…..yours.

2) Breathe...and press pause.

Breathing deeply from your diaphragm and calmly counting to 10 can reduce the stress your body is feeling when irritated. Introduce visualisation with the breathing by imagining something you feel is calming like being on the beach, or a bird soaring in the sky.  When you exhale really empty the breath out of your lungs for an extra couple of seconds.

Giving yourself this pause can make the difference between reacting or not, seeing the irritation through a different lens and

3) Listen to the 'right' music.

Life can be less trying if you listen to slower music in highly stressful situations, such as sitting in traffic for hours.

Listening to faster music if you're feeling low and need a bit of a pick-me-up can be hugely beneficial as can singing very loudly to your favourite tune – something I do in my car after the school run every day.  This energy release genuinely gives me a boost and anything I’ve found irritating from the morning routine like asking my son for the 10th time to put his shoes on, simply melts away.

4) Distractions are good for you.

Ever had an irritating song lodged in your head in 2016 a study was done by the American Psychological Association, it found that the most irritating types of songs are up-tempo, easily remembered melodies (#crazy frog #babyshark!) The researchers found that the only way to dislodge the song is with distraction. So, when you have something irritating going around and around in your head, get rid of the mental chatter by doing something that you need to really focus your thinking on, like a crossword puzzle, sudoku or a gaming app like Candy Crush (other weirdly addictive gaming app’s are available 😊)

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Much love

Claire

Everything starts with you!...