Slow Down the Hangry
You know that crazy way your sibling or friend responds to you sometimes? It might just have to do with their blood sugar. Of course, it might not too (pro tip: assume nothing). We’re not here to analyze how someone else behaves or why. We are here to fine tune your own actions and behavior.
There’s the classic Snickers commercials that use the tag line, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” It’s true. We all get more irritable when our stomachs are empty or when we’ve had less sleep than we need. The thing for Christian men, men who choose to do better, is to make sure it doesn’t change how we act.
How do you normally respond to someone when they frustrate you? How about when you are tired, hungry, or already a little upset? Most often, we have a hard time controlling our responses. We lash out or say something rude or demeaning. We forget that it is our command to love that guides us.
My in-laws tell me stories about when my wife was a kid. Her bouts of irritability were significant enough that her mother would carry sugar packets around, just in case. She would get “hangry.” We can all do better than this (and my wife does too now, just to clear that up). We can and should have better control of our behavior, even in the most frustrating of circumstances.
Take Care of Yourself
The first and best way to take care of this problem is to take care of yourself. It is much more difficult to let hunger or exhaustion get the best of you when you are full and running on a full night’s rest.
It has long been shown that getting a good seven to eight hours of sleep each night promotes a healthy body and mind. It is also good practice to eat balanced meals of good foods and less junk. Combining these two can prevent some of your more irrational attitudes and actions before they even start.
Focus Up
Then there are the times when you can’t get the sleep or food you need. That doesn’t change anything. The key is to be focused on what you are doing and saying at all times. You’d be surprised at how often you are doing things that you haven’t really cleared with your mind first. We act with emotion, from the heart. When our not at our best, this is even more true.
So start paying attention. This is something you can practice all of the time. Be focused and disciplined and your control will grow. Choosing to just start when you are struggling is asking for failure. Practicing when you are in your prime will set you up for success. You will know how to act and will already have the filters in place that you need when the time comes.
Consider Others
A third way to change your behavior is to think of what the other person is going through or what they meant by their words or actions. We get caught up in a loop of what we think someone said, rather than listening to what they actually mean. Take a mental step back and think it through.
Consider Yourself
Then comes the final step. It’s not enough to just think about how someone is intending their own actions to come across. You have to go the extra step. You have to think about how what you are saying or doing will come across to someone else. Are you being rude? Are you being selfish? Are you being judgmental? How is what you’re saying going to be heard? If you do this, how will they respond? Are you acting hangry?
It’s essential that we slow down in life. With moments of frustration, slowing down is vital to maintain good, open relationships. When we act with emotion and don’t slow down to think about our actions, we can hurt the people we care about most. When we hurt others, they may be more withdrawn from us, less open and kind. The cycle spirals until the relationship burns up and fails. Stop the cycle before it starts.
Be you when you’re hungry.