Help Guide, a mental health information website, defines stress as your body's reaction to threatening or upsetting circumstances. This triggers a physical response that readies you to fight or flee. But handling stress is usually not as simple as fighting or running. You may be in a situation that can't be resolved quickly. The stress response continues with a variety of physical and emotional effects, including irritability.
Symptoms
The Mayo Clinic says stress can affect you physically and mentally. Irritability is a common mental effect, along with anger, worry, anxiety, depression and difficulty concentrating. The physical effects can increase irritability. For example, you may get an upset stomach, headache and muscle pain. This physical discomfort can be very frustrating and make you feel more irritable.
Causes
Stress can come from a variety of sources, but feeling overwhelmed is a common thread. For example, you may feel you are drowning in responsibilities at home or work. Stress can also be triggered by worry. For example, you may hear rumors of an upcoming layoff at work and fear you will lose your job soon. The stress can continue and worsen if you're unable to resolve the situation. Your frustration may lead to irritability as you externalize your frustration.
Effects
Irritability caused by stress can affect your daily life and interactions with other people. You may have trouble focusing on things such as work or home responsibilities when you're not in a good mood. This can cause trouble with your boss, co-workers or family. You may withdraw from your friends when feeling irritable, which distances you from a potential support system. The Mayo Clinic warns that you may even push others away with angry outbursts if the stress continues and the irritability worsens.
Prevention/Solution
The Mayo Clinic advises finding healthy outlets for your stress so it doesn't manifest itself as irritability. Effective strategies include physical activity such as aerobic exercise, yoga and tai chi or mental exercises including meditation, talking to other people and using positive self-talk when you're feeling especially stressed or frustrated.
Try to find ways to take some power over stress-causing situations if you can. For example, update your resume and start looking through classified ads if you fear being laid off or ask your partner for help if family responsibilities are overwhelming.
Warning
You may not be able to effectively conquer stress and its negative side effects, including irritability, on your own. You may need professional assistance. A cognitive counselor can teach your mental techniques to release stress and keep it from affecting your life. Contact a licensed counselor if your irritability continues and if it's causing problems with others despite your self-help efforts.
