Hangry?

Have you ever been so hungry that you got angry but at the moment you didn’t know why? The Snickers commercials have picked up on this problem. “You are not yourself,” they say. Or the old SNL skit with Chris Farley, “lay off me I’m starving!” I’ve personally dealt with this struggle. I realize there is no one else to blame but me.

It is probably a product of our Western consumeristic entitlement culture. We cannot wait patiently for anything. Modern technology, personal phones, the fast food industry, microwaves, and a host of other inventions exasperate the problem. Some people in this world don’t even get a meal all day. For others, it’s just one simple meal that may have been the same food from the day before. But here we are at around 5 PM walking in the house pacing, fidgeting, and possibly throwing a tantrum. I’m guilty.

Admitting that is not easy. It is a lack of self-control and maturity. Yet, it is also neurological and biological conditioning. We train ourselves to eat at the same time each day and tell ourselves we can hold off until those moments. When those moments arrive, and the food is not quickly available . . . BOOM! The red button has just been pushed. Something chemically goes off in our body, and we snap. At everything. And anything. And almost anyone.

Do you deal with this? Am I the only one? Please tell me you know what I’m talking about and not just because you have seen other people do this. Obviously, the body is going into survival mode. It’s like fight or flight. You are ready to FIGHT . . . for food. You are making everyone else FLIGHT in order to get it. But you are so upset, half the time you don’t even realize you’re just hungry. It’s so sad that it is not even a laughing matter. Immediately after the second bite, it is like you have become a new person. It’s quite strange.

We know babies are like this. They cry relentlessly and then momma comes to the rescue, and there is an immediate shift. Children go bananas over having no bananas but two goldfish down, and it’s like they were given a Valium. You would think we eventually grow out of it.

Back to the concept that you are not being yourself. Interestingly, you are being yourself. You may not be acting how you normally do but who else is the one manifesting the crazy? This means that we can be reduced to sheer childishness at the drop of a hat. All based on not getting our snack on! Really? This is what it means to be human.

This all points to the fact that we are broken within. If not having our snack on time triggers acting foolish and saying rude things, what more are we capable of in a moment’s notice? Being hangry is not good, but it points like a barometer to the deficiency in our souls. We need a shift in our whole life, not just the food schedule! If you have had a hangry experience and you realize that you need a change, share your story with us.