Research shows that our brains are hard-wired to focus on negativity, and there is certainly a lot of negativity in the world right now, which gives us a lot of options to think about.

Ironically, some of the coping mechanisms we use to distract ourselves often make our mood worse. We end up compounding the problems we are subconsciously trying to solve. Instead of falling into these mindless behaviors, we must consider how to replace them with higher value coping skills.

Here are some of the most common ways you might be exacerbating your dysphoria due to poor coping skills, and alternatives you can try.

Not eating when you’re hungry

When blood sugar is low, it triggers a cascade of hormones, including cortisol, which is associated with stress.

Energy shortages make us feel “irritable, tired, sluggish, and irritated.” We have a lower tolerance for things, which can affect your ability to focus and ultimately perform, which can increase your frustration.

Try setting an alarm every few hours to check your hunger levels, or schedule your meals like meetings.

Binge-watching emotionally-taxing TV at night

Just when you should be calming your mind and body before bed, you turn on your favorite watch-worthy crime series. While these shows aren’t bothersome to some of us, for others they can cause irritable or even depressive feelings long after we’ve finished watching an episode. This is especially problematic at night, causing sleep disruption.

Staying up late and being distracted by television causes us to stay up late and then we think, ”Oh, crap, I have to get up in five hours.” This happens a lot more often than I would like to see. If we don’t sleep well, you feel irritable the next day.

To combat this, consciously choose a calmer or neutral theme for your evening program and save the emotionally charged options for a rainy Saturday to protect your sleep and mood.

Staying inside all day

It’s easy to fly by during the day – especially when you’re at work. This mindless habit can cause irritation if you’re at the end of the day, or for several days, and haven’t even stepped out yet.

Here’s a research-backed tool to improve your morning routine and reduce irritation: Within 30 minutes of waking up, take a walk outside and be exposed to direct natural light.

Additionally, it is recommended to delay your morning cup of coffee for a few hours instead of drinking it right at the beginning. Since caffeine is a stimulant, you may immediately cause tension or stress instead of calming yourself down. Instead, get up, take some vitamin D, start your day, and drink a cup of coffee.

Checking your phone notifications when they come through

On average, people check their phones nearly 50 times a day, adding that it can take about 20 minutes for a person to fully refocus after checking their device.

This can lead to time management issues and overwhelm, which can lead to overall irritability.

When we fall down the rabbit hole, we beat ourselves up for being distracted and wasting time, which makes us frustrated and sabotages our focus and productivity, so we look for ways to distract ourselves from the setbacks, and the small setbacks The cycle keeps repeating, building on the last one.

The easiest and most difficult solution is to move the phone to another room. You can also put your phone into Do Not Disturb mode or remove notifications from the lock screen.

Doomscrolling

At this point, the social media doomscroll is inevitable. All the misinformation, conspiracy theories, and pandemic-related warnings in the news can take a huge toll on our mental health.

All of this can lead to increased feelings of irritability, aggression, and anger, and because of the pandemic, we tend to be literally addicted to the news cycle.

The grueling news may not only be coming from your phone, but also from the TV or radio running in the background. Even Instagram Stories or TikTok can bombard us with it.

To break the negative effects, limit news consumption to once or twice a day. The best way is to try reading the news in the morning and evening rather than throughout the day.