Often, I don't realize that I'm irritable until I snap at someone or find myself cursing at the computer.

Have any of you had success with discovering early signs of irritability and correcting it before you have an outburst? I've been working on this without much success.

Thanks.

Im still working on this myself 8 months in and havent found a pattern yet.

I base most of it on my frustration of stuff I do. Simple stuff like forgetting what I was doing, or not remembering if I took my meds or turned off the oven.

Rarely do I get mad at others anymore. A lot of people still dont know about my injury, and question why I act on certain ways or why im not paying attention. I just ignore it at this point.

I test myself in the mornings , usually the act of making breakfast or some small task to feel underlying feelings of anger and impatience to see how im doing that day and it gives me a baseline on how much i shoud be able to do that day, as soon as i feel the rage i stop all activities and rest to music.

Thats a smart idea too. I do similiar stuff as well. I can usually tell when I wake up what kind of day its going to be. Today for example, I woke up and was instantly irritable. Although it may have something to do with the 102.5 fever and summer cold that started yesterday. Being sick on top of pcs is not a good feeling I must say.

I wish I could find the trigger... it would make everyone in my house more tolerant...

Im alone all day and dont do much ,its the perfect enviroment for me. I find that talking to others ,having to think too much, listening to talking is very mentaly draining and after a few hours i either sleep to recover or i ignore my tiredness and wreck myself . Making phone calls is exhausting mentaly. The trick is to stop doing things before mental tiredness which leads to all the other problems. Paying close attention and becoming very sensative to my symptoms is key. Most often when we dont know what things we do to affect us is why we suffer so much.

I have an agreement with my family. They tell me to stop when I snap and I must listen. Most of the time it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

However, I still can't find the trigger. It always seems like something very random. No pattern at all.

I think thats the issue we all experience. Mine can be over something as simple as seeing an ant inside the house, or pressing the wrong station number on the tv.

Ive learned to calm myself down though quicker when stuff happens. Its weird because I have no control over it starting, but can usually stop it quickly. Plus my wife knows when im in one of those modes to leave me alone and let me get through it.

my head constantly feels like it has a hangover. it makes not snapping very hard sometimes. I don't know if my snapping is a symptom if being sick or just from the irritation in my head.

If it is my son, before I speak I take a breath. This helps me approach the situation calmly most times. I have snapped at him enough and want it to stop!

When I get frustrated or stressed I can curse like a sailor. It's almost like I am outside my body wondering "who is this person?". Sometimes if I am having a "bad head day" I warn my family and friends. They understand.