MAYBE WE’RE ALONE ON THIS ONE. Perhaps we’re the only ones who have accidentally followed up our morning coffee run with double espresso at lunch. Or felt those curious, less-than-patient emotions when stuck in some unexpected cross-town traffic. Perhaps, dear reader, you have never made the mid-shower discovery that your beloved roommate has used the last of your fancy (read: expensive!) organic shampoo.
Possibly, you cannot relate at all – but we seriously doubt that. And what emotion is almost always a byproduct of these unplanned, unwelcomed events?
It is that honey badger of all emotions: irritability.
Thankfully, one of our favorite brands has come up with an irritability cure-all that uses special aromatherapy treatment to bring you instant relief:Â Tata Harper’s Aromatic Irritability Treatment!
This adorable little aromatic roller-ball is, frankly, calming just by being present: it’s packaging is recycled, which gives us great peace of mind. Plus, it’s tiny – and cute things are calming.
Most of all, however, this organic therapy oil does the trick with its blend of fresh, woodsy and warming scents. Apple, bitter herbs, fresh grass, chamomile and rose add up to one seriously peace-inducing therapy blend. One little roll over the wrist and – poof! – It’s as though you never received that last scathing e-mail from your boss about needing to work this Saturday!
Since all-natural beauty Tata Harper whips up batches of her gorgeous organic products with her husband and children on their picturesque Vermont farm, it’s difficult to imagine what could’ve inspired her to create this blend. A Vermont farm seems the least likely of places for irritation to appear! Nonetheless, we suppose irritation can rear it’s ugly head at even the loveliest and most peaceful of organic farms.
Wherever this less-than-desirable emotion catches you, we have just two pieces of advice:
ONE, keep this adorable little green rollerball close at hand and
TWO, smile and take a deep breath.
Aromatherapy or no, a deep breath will always provide you with a moment for the honey-badger in you to pass and if that doesn’t work, the smile will keep anyone from knowing the wiser.
Giveaway!
In desperate need of this Treatment yourself? It is your lucky day! Tata Harper is offering one lucky reader the opportunity to try the Aromatic Irritability Treatment (retail: $65.00) for themselves. Enter by sharing your best self-calming advice below and we’ll select the winner!
The human body si not designed to stay in a chronic state of stress (fight or flight) – this level of stress turns into irrability becasue Americans experience this all too often. My mom always said “this too shall pass” and somebody out t here has it worse. The ultimate question is to ask your self is that if I inflicted this situation and its now causing me to feel this way – go to the person, make the situation right, strive for integrity in all that you do – this will lead you to freedom!
When I am irritated, frustrated or overwhelmed, I turn to meditation (either the good old fashion kind or through my yoga practice). I set an intention of positivity and calm before my practice and with each breath I slowly begin to release my frustration. More often than not, I realize that my frustration was really hurt, sad or inadequacy that I was covering up with anger. Meditation allows me to clear my mind and engage fully with the real emotion.
I like to use my senses to put me back in a state of happiness or calm. The great thing about this technique is that it requires you to actively change your state. For example, I’ll look at something pretty in a magazine, or I’ll smell a flower, or eat something that tastes good. The fact that there are simple positive things around me is a great reminder that being irritated is wasting an opportunity to be, well, un-irritated….and maybe even happy!
Oh I have a temper too! So something that helps calm me down? Oh that is needed for sure. I usually just try to keep my mouth shut and breathe because if I can’t keep my mouth shut, I explode! That’s not good. And if that doesn’t work…I might try a cookie. Preferably a vegan one. 🙂
When I am irritable, which seems like pretty often these days, with my son or my husband or the loud, hot and busy city I live in, I turn to my yoga practice.
I make time daily for a twenty minute meditation, where I try to clear my mind and breathe, I follow this with a deep and opening asana practice. I always finish feeling grounded and grateful for my practice and my many blessings.
Gratitude can turn any number of bad feelings around, and enjoying a homemade meal with a glass of wine and my family is one of my greatest, calming pleasures.
I usually turn to Bach’s flower remedies, but would LOVE to give this a try.
I remember how lucky I am!! Maybe a bit of dark chocolate as well!!!!!!
The fastest way I know to calm myself down is to practice what I call “Observe & Release”. In an effort to fully understand what is happening in my body I open up my frame of reference to include not just my internal thoughts, but also what sensations I can feel, hear, smell, taste and see around me in that moment. A few seconds of observing each of the five senses is enough to quiet my inner monologue and bring me into the present moment. The next step is to observe the irritant from this new, calmer state and begin to notice the “why” behind the “what” I am feeling. And then I simply choose to release it, as if it were a balloon I am letting go into the bright blue sky.
I try to treat myself well. Massage, facials, long walks, swimming…the list goes on and on!
I guess it changes day by day, moment to moment. I’m different in every moment seemingly. Today I was stressed and panicked, and just nuzzling and petting my sweet kitty brought me back. Sometimes I will stop what I’m doing and do one empowering yoga pose. Other times I will light a candle to shift the mood. And yet other times I’ll hop into a fragrant bath. New challenges? New tactics!
Yoga, yoga, yoga and some green juice!
Exercise! Anything to get my heart pumping usually helps with my irritability.
Any time I am irritable the best remedy is my boyfriend – he’s the only one who knows that when I’m really irritable and upset, I’m like a cranky toddler in desperate need of a nap; i don’t like to talk, I just want to take a warm shower and watch a movie in bed. He never yells at me to snap out of it and just move on [which would just make most people MORE irritable]; he just gives me a big hug, says he loves me and then lets me have my space. Getting to go home to someone so understanding always makes me feel better.
I am an aspiring actress in LA, trying to pay my rent, kick start my career, eat healthy on a budget and be zen in traffic.
My anti-stress strategy: Breathe really shallow with as little air as possible. Punch something soft-ish. Scream in my car. Think about a bath, but then get frustrated that my roommate never cleans the bathroom. Fall down and cry. Work out for 50 hours straight. Make up new curse-word lyrics to a gentle song. Vent-text a friend with a series of iPhone angry red devil emoticons. Cocktails! Scribble hard in my journal. Pretend to meditate, but really – think about that one thing over and over until my brain is on fire. Try to smile, but end up looking like a homicidal maniac.
Aaaand, sometimes I’m able to actually handle it like a rational thinking person. Who knows this moment will pass. Phew. I do think a pair of those Incredible Hulk gloves would come in super handy though. When a solid punch (even in the air), is just what suits! XO
In my mind…you win for being super real (at least in terms of what I imagine a lot of people go through!)
YOGA, YOGA, YOGA- and a great giggle with my 21 month old! 🙂
I think happy thoughts! Focusing on things that make me happy makes me relax without even realising it.
When I’m feeling rushed, stressed and about to burst into a bad temper, I like to tell myself to calm down, slow down, take a deep breather and smile. Even if it’s a fake smile at first it somehow makes me feel better! That’s how my little techinque for a quick fix of calmness and you can do it pretty much anywhere in any situation.
Best calming tips:
1. Drinking green smoothies to detox my colon.
2. Journaling and blogging.
3. Warm bath with a few drops of lavender with a vanilla candle lit.
I lie down on the floor and do one of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons that involve gentle, slow movements. They promote release of unnecessary muscular tension and induce a state of calm.
Elaine
Meditation with slow, rhythmic breathing is wonderfully calming. On the opposite end of the spectrum, heart-pumping exercise like running busts stress for me too.
To fight every day stressors I like to unwind with some yoga and meditation – nothing too intense, just a nice relaxing breathing exercise to slow down the pace – followed by a soothing cup of tea. In the event of a really stressful day, I like to venture to my safe haven, a lake in my hometown. I find peace sitting on the dock and watching the world around me. Everything seems calm and stressfree and I remind myself that every second I keep stressing something, is a second of happiness lost. It’s important to count our blessing and realize what we have and somehow that always seems to make the worst of days not seem so bad.
deep breathing…and taking a moment to myself, even if it’s just in the bathroom at work!
When I’m irritable, or can feel myself need to “re-focus”….I do a mini-meditate. Even if I’m somewhere I can lay down, I just close my eyes and focus on my breathing. Trying to slow my mind down for even a little bit always seems to help. If I have some lavendar to breathe it, its even easier!
I have an inverstion table and I spend ten minutes “hanging”. It stretches my out literally from my ankles to my neck, increases the blood flow going to my brain, and totally relaxes me. I can then walk back into lion’s den with my children feeling relaxed. Best of all, it keeps my back and neck aligned and pain free. Yoga, prayer, a quiet walk, a 3 mile run, 15+ mile bike ride,and meditation are all good cures, too. I do them all. I just chose hanging since it was different from all the rest.
Listen to some good music!
taking a moment to breathe deeply and be grateful while doing a few gentle meditative mantras. Love + Veggies, Jodi
I go back to the basics… taking a few moments to examine the wonders of nature in my veggie garden (located in our front yard) and pretend no one can see me :), kissing my boys good night with their sweet smell and soft skin and knowing our labrador retriever is always happy to see me. And of course, a glass of red wine at the end of the day is great too!! It’s the small things that bring me the most joy.
I close my eyes, take a few deep, slow breaths, and rattle off to myself 5 things to I have to be grateful for. I usually can come up with at least twice that much. It’s hard to be irritable and filled with gratitude at the same time!
I try to remember that negative thoughts will never serve me! Or usually its my ego nagging me and as soon as I recognize it…… those negative emotions start to lift. Red wine helps too! 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS, LAUREN BAIR! This was a tough one to decide since everyone has such great ideas for de-stressing! We’re feeling cooled off even as we read them! I think most of us would agree that Lauren may need this potion most! And for those who can’t agree – we hope you’re not too irritated about it! Thanks readers
Thank you Chalkboard!! I cannot wait to try it out! I know we all could use it, so I’ll be sure to share it with my angriest friends 😉 *I’m also gonna use some of these other ideas! So far, I really like “chocolate”, “wine”, “veggies” and “kissing”. THANK YOU! XO, Lauren
Sing and dance to my favorite uplifting roots reggae tunes … always fills my heart with sunshine 🙂
When I get stressed I take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, then breath out slowly. Its amazing what a calming affect it can have. The added oxygen to the brain also seems to bring clarity to whatever is stressing me.
a bubble bath with music and candles. followed by a comfy robe and lavender lotion!
Take walks to clear my head and sometimes a glass of wine helps.
I have to sit in my favorite chair next to a window and a basket of knitting projects. I pick out an unfinished project and after knitting a while, the warmth of wool in my hands and soft clicking of needles centers and relaxes me.
For big stresses, I walk. For the smaller ones in the in-between spaces I draw a deep breath, pull it all the way into my belly and exhale. Then, I decide to be grateful for that circumstance, feeling, situation, person, whatever it may be that has triggered me. It’s a trick I learned from Melody Beattie’s book, Make Miracles in 40 days, and it is a very powerful tool. Doing this helps to to integrate all of my emotions, even the unpleasant ones, and also makes me laugh to think about being grateful for something that I normally would start to fuss or explode over.
Any time I am feeling stressed, I go for a walk. This helps to calm me down and clear my head a bit.
patchouli…..aw…..
When I’m uptight I put my feet up on the sofa with relaxing music and sounds of the sea.
I usually find that cuddling with my dog for minutes relieves any stress. If not near my dog, a few deep breaths and a prayer for calm will do the trick.
My partner and my son helped me to come up with a physical cue I can give myself when I’m starting to get stressed or irritated. So, we have identified my nose as my “happy button”. It definitely works best when one of them pushes it, but it has been a great way to remind me of the support I have from others to manage stress and also of the two loves of my life. This only creates problems when I am in a stressful meeting and I’m afraid people will think I’m strange as I frantically push my nose over and over. haha! This is honestly one of many tools I have to deal with stress, but it is one of my favorites.
I am a public defender so stress creeps up on a daily basis. I breathe: I also tell my clients to breath in slowly, breath out the negative. I spray Aveda Relax spray in my home; Best of all: I find something to be grateful for on a daily basis. Face oil to ease the look of stress. I can’t wait to try Tata Harper’s: I love the products and…I was born in Vermont
I feel like I am always in a state of stress…and I feel terribly guilty when I pull away from work, my hubbie, or my kids..to take the breather that I so need. It awful to feel like you dont have 10 minutes for yourself to just decompress..I guess I need the “cure all” more than I thought…
I go for a walk, drink some tea, and yoga and more yoga!
When I feel particularly stressed, I go give my antique globe a big spin. It reminds me that the world keeps turning, and that my problems are infinitesimal within the scope of the universe.
Wow! What a beautiful idea. Now we want to go out and buy an antique globe to do the same. Thank you for sharing!
The giveaway has since closed, but be on the lookout for more coming soon!
Working with a lot of men (I work on offshore vessels) and they pick on me ALOT, I get pissed for about 5 minutes, and then I move on realizing that they are not worth my time, thoughts and health!
Yes i am desperat, please let this be my lucky day 🙂
A large glass of cool water with lemon, deep breathing and prayer…And then do something thoughtful for someone else.
I reflect on all the positive thing in life with a little time at the beach to clear my head.
being able to fix my eyes on something growing and alive.. maybe all I have time and space for is looking out the window or maybe I can go out into the garden but letting my eyes fall upon things beyond me is good
I can usually feel my stress level amping up and I know that I have to get control right away. If it’s possible, the best response is to get away for even 5 minutes and distract myself so I quit thinking about those things that are bothering me so much. If I can’t leave the situation, then I will still keep my calm by closing my eyes and doing deep breathing in and out and counting the breaths to 10. This usually helps. And the ultimate cure? A delightful bite from a Cadbury’s milk chocolate bar. Chocolate is heaven-sent for bringing me closer to my bliss.
With two kids and an auto immune disease on the mend, I have found the best advise to calm my state of mind in a stressful situation is to take a step back from the situation and re-collect myself, and remember what really matters… I have also invested in a simple, silver bracelet that has the word ‘trust’ engraved on it and I find the words a daily visual inspiration; it relates to most things in life; trust in the universe to provide, trust in myself, and trust in the process to find wellness… everything will be ok.