Moody irritable and short tempered

Yes - both irritability and lack of patience.  Regretfully.  I don't take medications for this.  I try to take time over things and this helps although I appreciate the irony of suggesting it to be a solution for having little patience!  I suggest that, for me at least, the biggest cause is frustration and often the people and things that my being moody and irritable impacts upon are not the cause of the frustration.  Overall my tip would be that if you're getting too hot notice it.  Try to find a way of getting further from the flames making sure others are safe as necessary.  Reduce the fuel and any wind fanning the flames and most of all try not to put petrol on it!  An explosion may blow the flames out but can cause a lot of damage in the process.  Hope the metaphor makes sense.  Best wishes.

Since diagnosis I've been more self aware and have found that I can spot the flames getting high and although it's not easy, I can often avoid it going "bang". 

As you say, it often feels right to blow at the time but the damage that's left behind after is often worse than the issue that started it off. So even though it's hard to stop it, it's worth it.

Since diagnosis I've been more self aware and have found that I can spot the flames getting high and although it's not easy, I can often avoid it going "bang". 

As you say, it often feels right to blow at the time but the damage that's left behind after is often worse than the issue that started it off. So even though it's hard to stop it, it's worth it.

Thanks Another Autistician 

I agree one way or another having a diagnosis and recognising what the pattern it describes through self awareness helps.

For me searching for the issue that started it off - bearing in mind that it may at first analysis be something not immediately obvious or not something that is easy to look at is where I'm at currently.

Events and responses can be separated by time and place but are often similar in circumstances.

For that I can recommend a "no blame culture".  Typically people are involved and if one can separate them from what happened as a thing to consider maybe?   Including oneself.  I'm not religious by nature however "hate the sin - not the sinner" comes to mind.  Exploring emotions from both ends - that they are a reaction to events and experiences but also the thing that motivate our behaviour is where we're both making reference to I think.

Going from limited emotional insight and only noticing it when it is extreme to getting a handle on nuance and subtle shifts is quite a challenge.