When the
anger comes
By Ben Jonas Goedeke · 3 min read · checked against its sources
Irritability and anger are among the core symptoms of PMDD, and among the hardest to live with. They can land on the people you love most and leave guilt behind.
Notice it early
Anger shows up in the body first: a faster heartbeat, tight muscles, clenched fists, feeling hot. Learning your early signs gives you a moment to choose what happens next.
Buy time
Before you answer, count to ten and breathe out slowly. If you can, step away: "I need a few minutes, I will come back." Leaving a room is not losing an argument.
Move it through
A brisk walk, a run or a swim can take the edge off. Alcohol tends to make things worse, not better.
Talk about it later
On a calm day, tell the people close to you what happens and what helps. After a hard moment, a short apology and a word about the week go a long way.
If anger is hurting you or others, tell a doctor. It is a symptom, and it deserves attention like any other.
Keep the record your doctor needs. Tideline is a period and mood tracker for iPhone: write one sentence a day, and after two cycles it puts the week before your period next to the week after it starts. Free to track, no account.
Get Tideline on the App Store
Keep reading
Sources
- NHS: Anger
- IAPMD: What is PMDD?