HALT the crazies!

I've started calling it "The Crazies." Other expressions for the same thing would include "losing my cool," "melting down," and "system overload." I can tell it is somewhat hormone-driven, but not entirely. I am a sinful creature dealing with sinful creatures in a fallen world and sometimes things just get frustrating.

Usually it's a cumulative effect, although when my son is whiny with an ear infection, that is a sufficient cause in itself. I'd like to say that it's always something really bad, like kids hitting each other with baseball bats, breaking eggs on the carpet, eating poop, or leaving the garage door open so the cat runs away. Actually, none of those things has ever happened to me. I have an example of what would have caused the crazies, but first, here's an acrostic I hope you'll find amusing.

I've heard that anyone attempting behavior modification should remember the acronym HALT before they repeat a destructive behavior. HALT stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. It's a way of analyzing yourself to figure out if I really need the next hit of your addiction. If you realize you're hungry, maybe you'll eat something instead of drinking alcohol, or maybe if you're tired, you'll realize it and sleep instead of spending more time on Facebook.

I am hungry, lonely, and tired most of the time as a mom. When I'm not actually alone, I do better controlling the crazies. The crazies and anger are first cousins, so asking myself in the moment if I'm angry would just make me more angry. (Actually, sometimes my daughter will ask, "You angry, mama?") Anger itself is not bad. Anyway, I have a new acronym that is a helpful checklist for me.

Hot - Am I just too warm? If we're outside too long, or I've got too many layers on, I get irritable. That's something I can control.
Anxious - Am I worried about something? Am I especially worried about my image? Am I getting mad bc my kids are hindering my ability to make an impressive presentation of myself? This is sin, and it comes between me and my kids.
Loud - I can only handle certain decibel levels. If it starts to get above that, my rational capacity break down. So, I may need to turn off the TV or music, stop the kid from yelling, put one of them in their room for time out, or get myself physically away for awhile if possible and safe. If life were a boombox, I'd just turn down the volume.
Touch - If kids are crawling on me while I'm trying to do something else, I very quickly get frantic. It's a kind of claustrophobia. It feels to me like things are breaking down. I can't tolerate it, so I don't try.

Really other than "A" this list is not at all spiritual, it's just a list of known triggers I can try to avoid or minimize. In the past I think I've tried to push myself beyond my capacity for the sake of humoring the kids, but in the end, it just isn't worth it if i can control it.

Not that my parenting should be all about my triggers. But it should include some attention to them. That's all I mean. What things do you think you need to HALT?