Crankiness is an opportunity to discover something about what you are thinking and believing. If you are cranky, ask yourself, "What am I saying to myself about myself, about life, or about others that is making me feel this way?" Beneath crankiness and anger is self-talk that is complaining about the way things are and believing or wishing they were different. This is the general attitude of the egoic mind toward life—resisting the way things are and wishing things were different. Rejection and desire are behind most anger and crankiness. The ego finds something to complain about and reject and something to desire instead. The feelings generated by believing these complaints and desires can run anywhere from mild crankiness to rage.

On the other hand, there is another kind of dissatisfaction and desire that may be worth paying attention to. Sometimes there are things we are unhappy about that we can change and that, in fact, we are meant to change. When Essence, our true self, is urging us in a new direction and we are resistant to seeing that new direction or making changes toward that, the result might be dissatisfaction and a desire for change that comes from our depths, dissatisfaction and desire that are meant to drive us forward to making certain changes that will lead to greater happiness and fulfillment. If we don't follow these deeper drives, we can end up cranky, angry, or depressed. Depression is often the result of denying the calling of our true self to do something or change something—to be true to who we really are rather than to our fears or conditioning. Ignoring the deeper drives of Essence and, instead, believing our fears and obeying our conditioning can leave us depressed and feeling empty and hopeless.

So, crankiness and anger are worth examining for two reasons: If they are caused by the usual discontentment of the ego, then you can become free of these feelings by seeing that. You notice and acknowledge that the egoic mind is doing what it was designed to do—create discontentment and desire for something different. The ability to see this, frees you from the egoic mind's tyranny, and allows you to relax and enjoy whatever is happening in the moment without resistance. On the other hand, if crankiness and anger reflect a deeper restlessness and desire for change on the part of your true self, then that needs to be honored. Essence moves us with a carrot and a stick: If we are going in Essence's direction, we feel joyful and fulfilled (carrot); if we aren't, we feel unhappy, angry, and depressed (stick).

Therefore, it is always good advice to follow your joy. And if you're not feeling joy, inquire to see if that lack of joy is the ego's usual dissatisfaction with life or if it comes from a deeper place that is prodding you to make a change or do something you might be afraid of doing. Fear always comes from the ego, and it is the most common reason for not following our Heart, our true self's calling. Dissatisfaction (and crankiness) could be a sign that it's time to move through fears or other conditioning and courageously try something new.

Gina Lake is a spiritual teacher who is devoted to helping others wake up and live in the moment through her many books, counseling, and intensives. She has a master's degree in counseling psychology and over twenty years experience supporting people in their spiritual growth. Her website offers information about her books and consultations, free e-books, book excerpts, a free monthly newsletter, a blog, and audio and video recordings: http://www.radicalhappiness.com.