Anger comes in many different shapes and intensity and is often hard to manage. It can range from mildly infuriating to I-Want-To-Burn-A-Building-Right-Now, so we really need to be mindful about this emotion to not let it take over.
Let’s explore how anger feels and how we can let go of it to live our lives better.
I will admit that I do not hold any special secret towards anger management, so this text will be a discovery to me as much as it will be to you.
The journey to manage our anger will surely last our whole lives, but I believe we can take steps today that will help us thrive beautifully in the future.
First let’s start with an exercise. Try to remember the last time you were quite angry. Try to identify what happened, and why you became so angry in the first place. Ask yourself these questions.
When was the last time I experienced anger?
How long did it last?
Why did I experience it?
How did it go away?
What could I have done to mitigate this anger?
Let’s try to take these questions and apply them to a quite common example: Road Rage. We see this everyday, and road anger will probably be experienced by every driver at least once in their lives, and can even be experienced as a non-driver too.
It generally occurs when someone else has done something really stupid or dangerous, and the anger usually doesn’t last very long. Generally, just honking the horn and shouting does the job of relieving the anger, and we can continue with our lives.
However, the experience is quite unpleasant, and can also be very dangerous when we lose control and stop focusing on the road. Let’s explore why this anger comes out, and how we can mitigate it.
Anger comes from within, our perception of the outside may trigger anger from the inside. It may be something that you feel is unfair, or that something or someone is threatening, attacking or disrespecting you.
It is quite alright to take action against things or people that are negative towards you, but letting anger roar is not the only option we have.
We can try to identify when we feel angry, take a step back, ask ourselves why we are angry, and then take action to address the issue at hand.
By not letting anger take over, we are increasing our chances of dealing with issues in the right way and not dragging our mood down in the process.
By asking yourself the right questions, and trying to overcome your anger, you may be able to understand your triggers and learn how to mitigate them.
I wrote this because I had a big fit of anger over a video game, which is something really unusual for me and I wanted to address it and understand it. I hope this can help you whenever you experience anger.
Thanks!
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