Kindness a wonderful antidote to anger
THERE is a lot of anger in the world today. It is evident in so many places. We see it and the consequences of it in the world, on the television, in the media, on social media, in our clubs and on the main street on a Saturday night. It is in our schools, homes and workplaces. And it is in all these places because it is in us.
There are so many reasons for us to get angry. Talking or even writing and reading about it brings up a discomfort and reminds us of why we are angry.
Sometimes it is because of what is happening in the world or in our community or lives from a social justice viewpoint. Sometimes we feel angry when others are incompetent or thoughtless and we see the actual and potential consequences of that. At other times, we become angry with groups or even individuals for something they have done or not done. And very often we are angry with ourselves because we perceive a wrong doing or that we missed something. Sometimes it is a combination.
By definition anger is: ‘a strong feeling of being upset or annoyed because of something wrong or bad’. It is a sign that we need to look at something. Sometimes we need to take an action, say something and sometimes we need to look at how we are viewing things.
Anger is a powerful force and builds heat inside the body. Sometimes anger inspires us to positive action and is a powerful catalyst for us to change ourselves and our lives for the good.
If we allow the fire of anger burn up our positive energy or even worse if we act in anger and make poor decisions, it can have disastrous consequences for our and others lives, anger can be lethal.
When not directed positively, it damages relationships. Even if we can keep a lid on it when with others, it is damaging for our health. Repeated angry thoughts have a strong impact on our body and mind and consequently our physical, mental and emotional health. When we think angry thoughts our body tenses. Our breathing becomes more shallow and shorter. Thus we reduce the amount of breath we are taking in and use up more energy in tension. Being angry often makes us very tired.
When we get angry, our minds become fixated and thoughts rigid. It can affect how we hear and see things. Sometimes it can even make us blind to what is really going on. It takes us out of the moment so we miss what is in front of us and very often we miss the solution to the problem we are angry about.
When we hold anger it can resurface when we least expect it. An outside event or a happening in our life can easily triggers a connection to an old wound. When we feel anger or frustration, it is important to look at why.
Some of us are more prone to anger than others. If you are prone to it, understand why and address and convert it to something positive for you and your life.
Kindness is a wonderful antidote to anger. If there is no action to address it positively, you will be doing yourself and those around you a big favour by letting it go and focusing all your energy on improving yourself, your life and the world around you. If you cannot solve what you do not want in life, always focus on expanding what you want more of (happiness, health, success etc). This expands the good things in life.
Wishing you a joyful week!