We all have our times where we get irritated and "snap" a little bit so to speak. For us bipolar people this snap tends to happen a little more often. But that's ok, it just means we are passionate about the subject at hand. Sometimes though, it is not a good situation to be snapping in. A social situation perhaps. I have found, over the years, some tools to help me deal with this a little bit better. The first and foremost thing I try to do is put myself on time-out, much like my mother used to do when I was little. Whether it's for 2 minutes or 45 minutes, I know it is much better for me to look bad by just walking away than to snap and start arguing and yelling. It took a while for me to figure this out. I used to think there was no solution, I was going to get upset no matter what and do something irrational. While it may be justified, it didn't help much.
So, I started to just walk away when I could feel myself getting too passionate in a discussion. At first this was difficult, I felt like an ass. Plus, people tried to stop me every time. "Where are you going? Don't leave." Things like that. This made it more difficult. I had to learn to ignore these, however much of a jerk I felt like I was. I realized after messing up a few times in trial-and-error that, while people were upset that I just walked away, the results were much better than if I stayed. Also, by walking away, I can not only give myself time to calm down, I haven't ruined things beyond the point of an apology. You'd be surprised how much people appreciate it when you just tell the truth about it too. By that I mean, say something like, "Hey I'm sorry man, I just knew I was going to snap, I don't know why, but I just wanted to leave before I got too upset." Those simple words are appreciated. You have saved a relationship and embarrassment on either side.
While it would be ideal if these things didn't happen, it is better to lessen the blow of the inevitable than to let it happen and feel the full force of the consequences. While this may not get me out of the woods every time, it certainly gives me an easier way out.
