[hskye]

I know I know, the title itself makes me sound like I'm a narcissist in denial.
But honestly, lately I've been irritated/dissatisfied a lot, and I have not felt this way before (not PMS related).

Then I remembered a quote (if someone knows who said this, credits to his/her wisdom) that you should always look to yourself when you feel annoyed with others- and ask, why am I reacting this way?

I asked myself several times, and most times I came up with two common reasons:
1) I used to, or still have, similar traits which I found undesirable and managed to/ are still trying to rid myself of. I see it in others and it annoys me.

2) I strongly believe I can do something better but I have to hold myself back for reasons such as (a) not to hurt/offend/ appear insensitive (b) not wanting the responsibility of a huge project.

I instead assured myself that I could be more useful/comfortable in other areas/ with other people who could appreciate me more.

At the end, I managed to use my irritability into motivation to work on things I've procrastinated on/lost interest in. I dislike how most people say how negative feelings can be 'converted' into positive.. I think it's what it always is, maybe emotions are things which we could grab onto and wield as a tool if we know how.

We are always trying to reject and fight negative emotions.. is it the right fight? Irritability is still very much a part of me, but I'm not ashamed or depressed about its parasitic nature. It definitely pushed me beyond a period of impasse with life.

[Thunder Bow]

Negative feelings and irritability are often associated with common anxiety see this article on this web site:

How Anxious are YOU (and what can you do about it) | Therapy That Works

[Perna]

Emotions are just information for us to tell us how we're doing with ourselves and others. What actions we take are pretty much all there is, all others can see. We take our feelings and thoughts and hopefully come up with an action that moves us forward.

I think one can translate any emotion into a "good" action. If we're bored, sure it feels like we "fight" it when we find something to do but that sounds like what you are talking about your doing with irritability and I know it works really well with anger; to figure out what one feels is threatened, is angry about, and how to fix that, works the same with anxiety for me.

[Travelinglady]

Emotions are emotions. I think the label of "good" or "bad" is appropriate in talking about how emotions are handled.

Irritability can let us know that we are not happy with something, and, yes, it can be a sign of anxiety, show up in a manic phase, etc.

[thebelljar12]

While it feels good to get things done and you get that fuel inside you, sometimes to do things to spite other people, and general insults at people, strangers, road rage, etc... it may seem like a good motivator but what is it doing to you physically?

Are you having any other manic symptoms like obsessive thoughts/overspending/talking fast?

I used to only be able to feel two emotions, irate and depressed. While I was irate, aka manic/hypomanic, I got a lot done, but I was putting so much stress on myself that was totally unnecessary. You should be careful not to let it get too far. And also double check if you think you may be getting manic.