Here recently it seems like everything just gets under my skin so quickly and easily. It’s not that I get mad and take it out on others, it’s just the fact that I’m constantly annoyed and stressed. Something as simple as the dogs tracking some mud through the house will just ruin my mood. I know some people who would just laugh it off and clean it up. Meanwhile I’ll get pissed that I didn’t wipe their feet and be mad the entire time I’m cleaning it up. This has nothing to do with the dogs, it just an example. Any number of seemingly insignificant things can trigger me like that. Like forgetting something at the store and having to go back. I would love to be able to go, “well that sucks” and just get over it.
I’ve worked through that stuff a bunch with my therapist. I do unfortunately have a lot work and family related stress that I can’t avoid. Which is why I’m always trying to figure out how not to things bother me. I’ve been setting firmer boundaries at work, but can’t exactly do that with family, but if I could somehow not let things bother me I’d be better. For example, my 12 year old is autistic, and will do things like walk up to me and say, “no TV!”. To whichy response is always, “that is not how we ask for things”. Then he will ask, “dad, can I watch TV?”.This has been going on for years, so it immediately gets on my nerves because I know he knows how to ask properly. But I also know I shouldn’t really care that much.
For me there’s a number of other coping mechanisms, like the usual breath work to try to be more meditative and objective about something, but often I employ the “at least it’s not” approach to bridge the gaps and minimize it in comparison to something worse. It’s often possible to invent a silver lining.
Such as taking a moment to think “as least it’s not shit” when the dog tracks in mud, or “at least he isn’t physically pounding the TV when he wants to watch it.” Just anything that I would rather not be dealing with more than the current thing.
It’s an aggravating world and reality. Now more than ever. Figuring out how to not be aggravated by it constantly is a lifelong challenge. I’m still working on it.