Prosaic Poppy 2005-2006: Hey all you angry people!

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Hey all you angry people!

I think that it is important to recognize that everyone gets angry. And that it is OK to get angry. Alot of people bottle it up, and never deal with it. However, there are ways to proactively deal with anger...I heard these tips and want to pass them along:

Identify your buttons.

Knowing what makes you angry will help you to protect yourself from future feelings of anger. That way you may avoid, or prepare yourself mentally for the fact that whatever it is WILL get you angry, so you can deal with it better.

Identify the underlying emotions.

There are usually underlying emotions that incite anger...which translated; is an inability to deal with those underlying emotions. Emotions such as frustration, sadness, fear. Identifying what the underlying emotion is will help to deal with it before you get angry.

Give up on fairness.

This one may be hard for many people to identify with. This essentially works for those of us who Christian, and who recognize that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. This also hits on the point that what we really deserve, as sinners is Hell. So, if the world were fair, we wouldn't be here, according to God's law. I have trouble with this one a lot, I often say that things aren't fair, but if I put it into this perspective, I am now thankful that things aren't fair...and that I have the opportunity to be closer to God--and to live.

Destress:

Exercise: This one is self explanatory. Exercising relieves stress, and makes you better prepared to handle difficult situations.

Vent: This one is important. Many people think that they shouldn't let anyone know their troubles. Well, that is fine if you are an island. But people aren't islands, and isolating themselves does more harm than good. [I have been told this by a wise person more than once] So find someone you trust...a friend, God...and talk to them. Tell them what is hurting you. Remember that venting and gossiping are NOT the same thing. Make sure that who you are talking to knows you are just venting, and that it isn't to go anywhere else [hence the trust part]

Take care of yourself.

Yes, exercise is taking care of yourself...but don't forget to feed your body, and give it rest as well. Some people [like myself] become very irritable when they are hungry. If you aren't feeding your body, or giving your body rest, your mind won't be able to process your emotions effectively. Besides no one likes angry skinny people. They are like being attacked by stick figures.

So be angry, but in a healthy way!