I started getting hangry a few years ago and once it started, I could literally feel a physical and mental change within myself. My body wouldn’t just want food, it demanded it. And it started throwing tantrums when it wasn’t available.

Being hangry is hard to describe. It’s almost as if you lose complete control over your mental and emotional state of mind. One second you’re fine and then the hanger hits you like a wave. Every comment, action, and thought from then on out is no longer a choice because something bigger than you has taken over.

For me, as time has gone on, the line between hunger and hanger has diminished to a mere 15-minute window. I literally have about 15 minutes to get food before my body starts to shut down.

There have been so many countless times where my hanger has shown itself at the most inappropriate times. It’s not okay to be snippy at work. It’s not okay to be short with classmates. It’s not okay to be anti-social at church. But I truly can’t help it.

I’ve tried curbing my hanger on multiple occasions. I’ve tried dealing with it and working through it. It’s nearly impossible. And that sucks. Not having control over something that seems so simple is obnoxious.

I hear so many people talk about how they get hangry too, and I’m now publicly stating that you probably don’t know just how intense symptoms can be for some of us. We’re not just grumpy and whiney. No. Every task becomes incompletable. Every little that goes wrong causes a grown adult to have a meltdown. Every question asked about my day makes me want to scream. I can’t function.

When I find myself with new roommates, I try to give them a heads-up on my whole hanger situation. They usually laugh a little and say okay. That original chuckle and the thought of an adult getting hangry quickly turns into awkward stares when three weeks later I have a mental breakdown at two in the afternoon.

When I’m hangry, I’m unproductive.

When I’m hangry, I’m mean.

When I’m hangry, I want to cry.

I really do try to keep food with me and eat on a regular basis. When that doesn’t happen; however, and you’re forced to be in my presence for one reason or another, then let me just say I’m sorry.

I am truly sorry.