How to Stop Being Grumpy

If you're wondering how to stop feeling grumpy, then…you're not alone (because you're like me!) I was having a serious problem with feeling grumpy and NOT knowing why. It became especially challenging when the feelings arose at work and I literally burst into tears in front of my boss.

It was very embarrassing and confusing for everyone involved.

I wrote another post in the past about how I dealt with grumpiness, but life changes and people change and I needed a refresher in a big way.

Table Of Contents

Why Am I So Crabby All the Time?

After realizing that being cranky was a problem I didn't understand, I decided to do a more detailed post on how to stop being grumpy. I wanted to dive into why I get crabby, and how to begin resolving it.

I experience two types of being grumpy – bursting into tears randomly, and being quietly angry and slightly passive aggressive.

1. Talk about it

Whether it is at work, or in your personal life, talking about it in a light-hearted way can help you discover what is really going on. I rarely know why I feel the way I do, but often if I talk about it with someone, I hear myself say things I didn't hear when I thought about it in my head.

Talking about it also gives you the opportunity to get feedback from someone else and brainstorm possible solutions, but know that getting feedback isn't required. You can also ask someone if they're available to listen to you and let them know you DON'T want feedback. It's important to give yourself this option because sometimes the purpose of talking isn't to find a solution—sometimes its just to be heard AND to feel your feelings, which is something most people don't dedicate time towards (but I think its important).

2. Help someone

Helping someone is good for several reasons.

First of all, it helps you get out of your head and it distracts you from whatever is causing your grumpiness. Taking time away and doing something completely different aids in your ability to process your crankiness because you give time and allow your subconscious to kick in—and your subconscious is WAY more powerful that your conscious brain.

Helping someone helps YOU in another way too—it makes you happy. I can't stop talking about a book I read called “Habits of a Happy Brain“, and when you do something nice for yourself, it triggers happy reward chemicals in your brain.