Anger issues

[Kim B Lynn]

I've never really been an angry person. But these last few days I feel like something's wrong with me. I want to scream and yell at my son. I want him to leave me alone and sometimes I want to beat him.

This scares the hell out of me.

I have no idea where all these strong angry violent emotions are coming from but I want to get rid of them. I haven't hurt him, but I have yelled once or twice.

I don't know why I feel this way because he's not doing anything bad. He's only 12 months old, and he's a pretty sweet guy. But for some reason being around him is driving me up the wall lately.

How can I control myself and get rid of these anger issues?

[Naturopath Mom]

Those are some difficult feelings to deal with! I would highly recommend bach flower essences, they help to fix negative emotions and behaviors. They can work fairly quickly as well! From what I can understand from you post you would want Holly for anger and Cherry Plum for feeling out of control (it is indicated for those that think they might do something they know is wrong). Taken atleast 4 times a day (as it says on the bottle) and taken even more often when you feel these emotions should help. I wish you all the best. Make sure you also have time to yourself, de-stress.

[Kim B Lynn]

Thanks for those ideas. I've heard of Bach flower essences, but wasn't sure exactly what to do with them. I'll have to go get some!

I've been watching myself more closely and realizing that eating helps relieve the anger as well. I'm wondering if it might be a blood sugar issue too? Or if it's an emotional attachment to comfort food or something?

[EdnaMarie]

At that age, they really start showing more personality and it's easier for even a sane person to attribute motives to them that are more complex than what is really there.

I've had my moments.

What is working for me, because I am sleep deprived and I'm not getting any soon:

1. Sleep. If possible. The full eight or nine hours. If that's missing, then something to compensate.
2. Magnesium supplements changed my life. Wow. It's linked to depression and nervousness. It's depleted easily by calcium/dairy, coffee, alcohol, stress... I'm not a wino but between a nightly glass, tons of dairy and coffee, and stress, I was probably totally depleted.
3. Yogic breathing. Even if I look like a nutcase I shut my eyes and breathe into my stomach, out the nose, count to five... until I can deal with them calmly. Even if I have to hold their wrists while doing it, LOL!
4. Cognitive behavior therapy workbook. Changing my automatic thoughts (e.g. "Why is she doing this to me" changed to "I'm the mom. I can do this.") is helping a lot.

I have a lot of stress but I've been yelling a lot less even though I'm going through a separation with my husband, have an almost-four-year-old and an 18-month-old.

I don't find eating helps me so much unless I'm really hungry.



Sometimes it's so hard to be the mom we want to be!

[Naturopath Mom]

Kim, well when the eating makes you feel better should you be hungry at that time? I used to (and still struggle at times) with being comforted by food....a big difference than blood-sugar imbalance (at least for me). Do you only get angry when you have not eaten for a while or after maybe a sugary or refined flour meal? That would be blood-sugar. But if you seek food whenever you are upset, that is something else. Hope you can figure it out!