And there's your boss' wife, looking very sexy. (Oh, crap.)

And there's your boss. What's a beautiful woman like her married to an idiot like him? (Start looking for another job.)

Grumpy anger: You literally wake up on the wrong side of bed, or feel that way. Your brain hasn't booted up right, which makes getting through the day a challenge. Your neurons aren't engaged. If they're talking, they're communicating with great effort over huge chasms.

It's as if someone poured molasses through the top of your head. At the same time, some disconnected wire somewhere inside your cranium is emitting random sparks. Sparks swimming in molasses. Your emotions are not exactly combustible, but your frustration is showing.

This is definitely not the time for your loved one to come bouncing in the room in some new outfit, asking, "How do I look?" You badly want to respond with something buoyant like, "very very sex-x-xy," only to find yourself snarling, "your butt is hanging out."

Anxiety-driven anger: You know the feeling. Your hot date hasn't shown up. The food is going to be gone by the time you reach the front of the buffet line. You are wondering if you are going to be paid. Most days, you can handle the situation, but not today. You're amped up. Your thoughts are racing, and you can't control them. Now you feel your world spinning out of control.

Pity your poor date when he or she does show up. Or those innocents in front of you in the buffet line. Or the person who has your check in the mail. You are about to make someone's life very miserable.

***

No doubt, you can add many more types of bipolar anger to this list. Also, you probably perceive quite a bit of overlap, as when anxiety meets agitated meets hyped-up. But I trust you get the gist of what I am driving at, namely:

Awareness is our greatest ally in these and other situations. Full recognition of what is going on in your mind at any given time is the equivalent of having a reliable oil light on your control panel. When it goes on, you know you need to take preventive action fast, before your entire engine seizes up.

If you're like me, you are probably very adept in certain situations and very inept in others. Please share your wisdom with us, as well as where you can use some sage advice. We are all learning. We all need to know.

Be smart. Live well ...