Ever find yourself walking into a new conversation still carrying the emotional weight of the last one? That happened to me recently, and I could feel my tone and volume were just a little… off. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault, but I realized I was letting leftover crankiness affect how I showed up—and that simple awareness gave me the chance to pause, laugh, and reset in real time.
On today’s Wise Walk, we’re talking about those all-too-human moments when irritability sneaks up on us, how to spot it before it spills onto others, and what it looks like to course-correct with grace. We’ll explore the difference between feeling your feelings and letting them run the show, how to own your energy without shame, and why asking “can we start again?” might be the most powerful phrase in your toolbox.
Let’s slow down and get real about the beauty of self-awareness, the art of emotional clean-up, and the way honest resets can lead to deeper connection and understanding. Because being human isn’t about being perfect—it’s about showing up, reflecting, and trying again with love.
When you find yourself feeling irritable, touchy, short-tempered, or cranky, can you catch yourself?
Do you have enough self-awareness to say, okay, I’m not myself right now, I’m a little on edge?
If you impact someone because you're off your game, can you make sure they know it’s your energy and not theirs that caused it?
Can you own that crankiness and respect the space and moment you’re in?
Can you accept your feelings, own your energy, and still care for the people around you in those moments?
Have you ever walked into a new conversation feeling off or cranky and not showing up as your kind, genuine, caring self?
Have you ever been a little abrasive, had more volume or tone than intended, and needed to reset with someone?
Can you take a breath, ask to start again, and forgive yourself for not showing up as your best self in that moment?
Can you acknowledge that one off moment doesn’t define who you are?
Can you use those human moments as an opportunity to connect and share vulnerability with others?
Do you have a pattern of sweeping things under the rug and letting it build up until it eventually spills out?
Or are you practicing constant self-cleansing, dealing with your emotions moment by moment?
Can you accept that emotions like crankiness or irritability often stem from something within you?
Can you recognize that your reactions might be related to lack of sleep, stress, or emotional weight you're carrying?
Can you be present with whatever is going on in your life and acknowledge it honestly?
Can you find a way to clear the emotional build-up so you can move forward without tripping over it later?
I’d love to hear how crankiness shows up in your life—and more importantly, how your self-awareness helps you move through it.
I look forward to next Thursday for another Wise Walk. Until then, take good care of yourself. Keep reading the signs, directing your path, and getting your Stride On.
In this episode:
[05:07] The other day, I had a heated conversation and I was off my game.
[06:06] I met up with some different friends and realized I had an edge to my voice when I was speaking to them.
[07:02] I was carrying around the energy from the prior conversation, and I hadn't shaken it off yet.
[11:13] A funny story about my mom disciplining her daughters, and my grandmother reminding her not to be quite so harsh.
[12:57] How my mom created space for herself and had the self-awareness to know she could have done a little better.
[14:08] Even if we're doing the best we can in the moment, we can still have the self-awareness to do better.
[17:47] On a personal level, I have been going through it. Our family lost a dear loved one, and that was really hard. Also, my mom is going to have surgery on Wednesday because she fell and fractured a femur.
[18:11] There's a lot of unexpected things entering my life.
[19:03] I'm grateful for all of my self-awareness practices, so I can realize when I come across as cranky.
Memorable Quotes:
Links and Resources:
Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
