When You Feel Like Having a Hissy Fit, Do This Instead

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Grrrr! You feel yourself about to explode. Your blood is boiling, and you know if you can’t control it, it’s not going to be pretty. In fact, if it all boils over, you are quite certain you’ll regret it. You’ll rant and rage, maybe even stomp and scream. When I think about it, it’s not all that different from a toddler tantrum, but we mamas certainly wouldn’t want to be caught having a tantrum.

When I was growing up, it was called a hissy fit.

Hissy fit:  fit of anger, temper tantrum.

It wasn’t something I ever wanted to actually witness my mom having. In fact, I chose not to do some things (or kept things to myself) for that very reason.

When you’ve earned the right to have a hissy fit…

The sad truth is that I find myself on some days in some circumstances not being about to control the bubbling anger and frustration, and it does manifest as a hissy fit. Life often proves to be so crazy hard sometimes, that many of us don’t always deal well.

I remember one particular fit of anger that had something to do with the rat race of getting ready for school and work. It involved a hair spray can and how far it was projected down the hall. Ya’ll. Seriously, I did that.  No one was harmed during my not-so-finest hour, and I’m not proud of that moment. What I am thankful for is that I took my anger out on the hairspray can and not the frustrating party. Then there was that time on our honeymoon that I chunked a box of french fries at my beloved while he tried to navigate Orlando traffic. I’d love to say my hissy fits were limited to only the above mentioned incidents, but…alas, I cannot.

Sometimes you just want to scream!

Do you find yourself in the day to day on edge and anxious? Nothing major has to happen, just lots of little stuff, some of our own doing even. Personally, I get angry with myself for making dumb mistakes and frustrated for not being able to make a decision. Sometimes, we get irritated over miscommunication, which can make a of mess weekend plans. And, of course, the normal day to day with little people and homeschooling and, and, and….

And then you feel sorry for yourself and really, really ticked and find yourself kind of wanting to just throw a fit! Then you’d feel release from that edgy, anxious feeling. On the flip side, though, you know you would feel deflated if you let those unstable emotions spill out into the day.

Breathe and pray.

One particular day, I was about to lose it, so I texted my hubby and asked him to pray. You know what he said?  “Just breathe. And pray.”

That’s the one thing we can do to avoid an explosion. Even though it seems like two things, they go together as one, breathing and praying at the same time. Calming your nerves and spirit together.

That day, I did exactly that. The little stuff that had made me feel so on edge was still there, but I felt peace and, oddly…joy.  So many times we are helpless to control or change our circumstances. No matter the circumstances, we can breathe and pray.

I don’t know about you, but I am thankful that there’s Someone who cares about mamas throwing hissy fits. Jesus cares about these little things that are irritating me today, and He comforts when we just breathe and pray.

A challenge for me and you:

If I’m 100% honest, I know it’s that easy, but not that easy. When you are about to blow your top, lose your ever-lovin’ mind, throw a hissy fit, the last thing you want to do it step back and pray. I struggle with taking the time to step back and really pray. But I want to challenge each of us to do that very thing. Not just the quick, “Jesus, help me,” but a true step back to pray.