You might wonder what that means. Prickliness is a state of reaction. When someone is prickly, perhaps they are becoming easily annoyed, quickly angered, or are quick-tempered. If we were thinking of a bush, we would describe it as sharp, thorny, or coarse.
We are all prickly now and then, just by being human. Sometimes, life gets the best of us and we end up a bit prickly. It comes in phases — on occasion, it lasts a while and other times, it is short-lived. Can you relate at all? I know I can!
So, how do we deal with this in our daily life?
Great question. This is more important now than ever before, because we spend oodles of time together (inside perhaps) with others, for most of us, as a family unit. We are bound to get on each other’s nerves, and therefore, see prickly behavior or a flared temper from time to time.
When someone is prickly, it is best to be gentle. We do not have to join anyone in any mood that doesn’t speak to us. So, basically, don’t get prickly too, just as a reaction. This solves nothing. By staying neutral and calm, you might actually help the prickly person calm down or get a better handle on their emotions.
By all means, don’t take someone else’s behavior personally.
I know this is one of the hardest things to do. I practice this daily as I am extremely sensitive. What helps is that I know that someone else’s mood is not mine to adopt, take on, or think I might have caused. More times than not, it has nothing to do with us at all.
Don’t get offended by someone else’s prickly behavior or attitude. When you look at someone as a separate entity from yourself, perhaps you will be able to see (child or adult) that they are experiencing something that has absolutely nothing to do with you. When you step back and offer gentle support or just hold space for them, it is invaluable. We do not do this enough for one another. You can also stop and ask, “you don’t seem like yourself at the moment, is there anything I can do to help you?”. The last thing you want to say is “what is bugging you?” or “why are you acting this way?” No one likes that!
Instead, be gentle, hold space, and ask if you can help.
This is not your issue, so be kind, and remember to also be kind to yourself.
“If your compassion doesn’t include yourself, it is incomplete” ~ Jack Kornfield
