Going beyond coping – anger – wet blanket syndrome

You mad bro? Wet blanket syndrome. Most people experience it at one point or another but with the constant (quality of) sleep deprivation, people with narcolepsy or constant pain can be ‘afflicted’ more often.

Say someone woke you up early, or someone made you late and you’re stuck in traffic and everyone is driving like poo poo caca or you suffer a bad encounter with someone, a friend let you down or hurt you. We all have a catalyst (or two) that really chaps our asses. Not every day stuff but the straw that broke the camel’s back stuff.

You’re so mad you want to scream, lash out, throw something. It may or may not, (usually it’s the latter of the two), be justifiable, your anger but, it’s yours and you are rocking it. Pulse racing, hands sweating, just pissed. Your blanket is just soaked with anger.

Now, ideally when we get soooo mad, we should sit and reflect on it. We should realize that whatever it is it’s (more than likely) not as big of a deal as we’re making it, maybe part of our brain even whispers, why you freakin’ out man? But you don’t care, cuz you mad.

At this point you are so irrationally mad that no one else a) understands why you’re so mad, or b) really cares that you’re mad or c) really wants you around at that moment. But you’re going to show them why they are WRONG. You’re going to give them your blanket. They need to carry your blanket around so they can SEE. And so with your eyes, or verbally, you throw it all over everyone.

This whole process may take just a few seconds but, the effects last a lot longer. Eventually, could be seconds, minutes or hours, you finally let the blanket fall to the floor. You feel the anger dissipate. Your shoulders lighter, relieved from the burden of carrying it around even for a moment. Now you’re ready to move forward with your life. But, if you look around, you’ll notice blanket swatches all over those around you as they sideways glance at you cautiously.

Sometimes you may be in a bad, hard to get out of, space and find yourself flashing in the pan more than a mirrored tuna on a shiny skillet. In that moment, where you’re seething, remember the phrase “be someone you’d want to hang around with.” This is challenging because in that moment you feel like you could care less if they exploded and disappeared, but in five mins you might feel very different.

Be someone you’d want to hang around with and have a nice steamy mug of STFU. Breathe. You can work out why your mad was justifiable when you’re not mad any more but, until then, breathe. Wet blanket syndrome can be cured by understanding, see previous post about dealing with irrational people.

Be happy. Some people don’t want your happy all over them either but the happy blanket syndrome is at least a lot warmer, and rainbowbarfy <3

Happy matters people! Go and get it.