As the adage goes, dont sweat the small stuff.
But that might be easier said than done for many of us.
You might start to feel like you have a short fuse all the time.
So what should you do to deal with this situation?
Track your responses.
Be curious about what you are experiencing, Raines said.
Sometimes the fear of something being wrong can intensify the emotion.
She recommended paying attention to the intensity, frequency and duration of your negative feelings.
Are there things from those moments that you’ve got the option to recreate or do more of?
Do old memories drop your mind?
By tracking your responses, you might begin to address the real cause of the reaction.
Give yourself some space.
you’re free to begin to give yourself opportunities for delaying the overreaction, Henry said.
A first step could be separating yourself from what is triggering you.
That might mean leaving the room and going somewhere private and quiet to breathe and work through your reaction.
Try self-soothing techniques.
From meditation and yoga to painting and gardening, there are countless sensory activities that adults can try.
Even dancing and listening to music can be mindful practices.
Raines similarly recommended focusing on your five senses as a way to self-soothe in moments of stress.
Take stock of big areas of your life.
Are there past traumatic events that have been stored up and not fully addressed or processed?
Are there past losses that have not been acknowledged?
Is there tension in a relationship that needs to be relieved and worked through?
Reach out to loved ones.
Feeling upset is very different from the feelings being accompanied by outbursts, Raines said.
Even just talking to a friend about your experience can provide a helpful sense of support.
This is true in general, as well as in the moment of overreaction.
Call someone you trust to vent or process what youre feeling, Henry suggested.
Reach out to loved ones if you feel like youremotionshave gotten overwhelming and are leading to behavioral changes.
You might even realize your reactions are related to communication issues that you gotta address.
It is very common for people to struggle with expressing themselves and therefore internalizing their feelings.
Talk to a professional.
Therapy can also help for processing life changes.This post originally appeared onHuffPost.
