I love my husband. I love my kids. I have a job that I like as much as I could ever like work.
But as much as I love my life, sometimes I’m a little grumpy. Sometimes my mood is downright”...stank. Sometimes the kids are bothering me. Sometimes my workdays are bad. Some days I just wake up on the wrong side of the bed.
One of the benefits of being single was that after work, my bad mood and I could go home alone, crawl into bed with ice cream (or wine) and I could enjoy the company of my own misery until the feeling passed.
Unfortunately, marriage is not the anecdote for curing the occasional bad mood. As a married woman I no longer have the luxury of doing my own thing until I’m back to my old cheerful self. I still have a husband and a couple kids to contend with, and while I’m human and therefore will have bad days here and there, I also don’t want to say or do something I’ll regret later just because I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
I’ve put together a list of five ways to manage your bad mood while keeping your marriage intact. Feel free to add to it with your own tips in the comments section.
1) Figure out why your mood is bad
Is a specific incident causing you to feel less than cheerful or is it just a generally foul feeling that came out of nowhere. Maybe related to the weather? Hormones? Pinpointing the reason behind your moodiness may help you to get it under control. (Sidebar: I hate being told that I must either a) have PMS or b) be pregnant- can a woman not just be hungry with an attitude sometimes!)
2) Acknowledge your bad mood out loud
The only thing worse than dealing with someone who’s in a bad mood is dealing with someone who won’t acknowledge that they’re in a bad mood. Let your spouse know what you’re feeling instead of walking around being huffy.
3) Ask for what you need
Do you need a couple hours alone to sulk? A hug or a listening ear? A jog around the block? Let your spouse know what it is you need to get the gloom out of your system.
4) Follow through
If you asked for time to relax, don’t then spend the time cleaning the bathroom or taking out trash. Actually do what you need to do to feel better.
5) Thank your spouse and return to the world
Express your gratitude to your spouse for understanding and helping you get back to being Mr. or Mrs. Sunshine.
And remember, while we’re all entitled to a little bit of moodiness, feeling crappy every day is a problem. If you find your bad moods to be more frequent or becoming harder to get out of, contact a doctor to find out whether your mood changes may be a sign of depression or another underlying issue.
Get practical tips to keep your marriage hot even when you’re short on time at Making Love in the Microwave.