We’re angry, irritable and in a mood and we've just managed to seal our fate on the most important decision we’ll ever make.

Perhaps we should sort ourselves out before the agitation starts to feed on itself, escalating into solitary emotional hibernation. There are so many cognitive distortions that can turn a mood from being happy into being sad and angry, but it’s the view of what we’re looking at that affects us and not the mood itself. We must find a better way.

Stress is usually the initial trigger, but that’s usually symptomatic of something bigger that we’ve not yet dealt with or even thought about, triggered from our unconscious thinking, which usually lays dormant from every day stress. As a child growing up with emotional and physical problems I know.

Anything we're dealing with at the time that we're stressed with becomes a trigger. When we learn to dig deep and find out what the initial stress factor is, our mood will dissipate. But we mustn't make decisions based on angry moments or bad moods, as anger and bad moods will become our motivators for making the wrong decisions.

Instead we should stand back and take time to look at the bigger picture, because a decision in anger is never sound.

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

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6 comments on “Angry decisions”

  1. I have made many angry decisions in my life that always came back to haunt me. It happened with things like deciding to get a divorce and then the hell that came after that decision!

    So many people make angry decisions without really stopping to think too much about it. I don't get angry all that often anymore since I try not to involve myself in situations that used to make me angry so often.

    I can't afford to be so angry anymore as it takes a toll on my mind and body that just isn't worth it! I think if a lot more people stopped to think before they made any major decisions, the world would be a much better place.

    1. Thanks Randy, yes I agree with you wholeheartedly. Nothing is worth the anger and the toll it takes on our emotional and physical health.

      Just because we can't agree or see eye to eye, doesn't mean we should feel angry. It's just a different view point. Perhaps if more of us stood back so that we looked at the bigger picture, we'd come to understand more and would be less angry.

      I feel life is too short for us to spiral into making angry decisions from being irritable and in a bad mood; over the things that could so easily be worked out, particularly around family scenarios.

      When we look back on some of those times, how easy it is for us to see the whole process as futile and unnecessary, although at the time we think it's necessary.

  2. I agree it's much better to make decisions when the anger has subsided. But in my case, anger has given me the courage to speak up; how I truly felt about situations that have affected me in some negative way.

    I don't regret that because it has helped me grow as a person.

    1. Thanks Maria. Yes it's never a good idea to make any decisions based around anger. It's easy to become angry, particularly when dealing with a physical disability and having no emotional support. It sounds as though your circumstances were similar to mine in terms of support.

      If the anger you felt has served its purpose and it clearly has, then it clearly needed to happen. If you could have got your attention through other avenues, I am sure you would have chosen a different route. No one chooses to be angry.

      It's great to hear you've grown through your experience.

  3. I can't remember who said this but you blog reminded me of this little saying, "speak when you are angry and you'll make the best speech you will ever regret."

    Getting angry has never achieved anything in my life and thankfully I have managed to avoid making important decisions while angry.

    1. Thanks, yes it's true. Best speech and biggest regret. Making decisions when we're angry or upset is the worst time to make the biggest decisions of our life.

      It's important for us to avoid making decisions when we're angry. It's always better to wait a while when we're more aware of our emotions and how we feel.

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