When the Fan is Shighted!

As I write, a number of things worldwide have occupied my attention in not very positive ways.

Firstly our national Cricket team disgraced itself having been caught cheating (What where they thinking?!)

Secondly, just about every day we hear more and more distressing things in the news such as hypocrisy (and incompetence) from politicians and bureaucrats on topics such as gun rights as well as assaults upon freedom of speech in the UK.

Yes, there’s plenty to grumble about!

But why?

Anger is probably one of the most primitive of emotions. It is the ‘fight’ response that occurs when something about us is threatened. In primitive life, the threat was more an existential threat such as an attack by a wild beast, but nowadays it has morphed into something that threatens or is contrary to our values.

During anger, the brain secretes toxic chemicals such as cortisol that fire up the body for the fight response: heart rate and metabolism increase in anticipation of extreme physical activity. When you are not actually in a physical fight, this has a deleterious effect on both your mind and your body.

So what to do about it?

Over the years through meditation and personal research, I have gradually become more aware of anger in my life, and I’m often even aware of when and how anger arises in the first place.

I have learned to accept anger as being a necessary part of life, but not to let it ruin my day or my life at all.

It’s OK to have values that may be insulted by others, but remember it’s not the other’s fault that you are angry. You chose to be angry, even if you are not aware of how it came about.

Additionally, there’s no need to feel guilt or shame about being angry – ‘it is what it is’. As soon as you notice the signs of anger welling up inside you, simply say to yourself: ‘it’s OK – it will pass’. Take some deep and slow breaths for a few minutes and it will subside.

In the longer term, and because it’s your values that are being challenged, you can choose to re-examine these values and see if they serve you. If they don’t, then consider changing them to something that does.

If, on the other hand, it’s your response to these challenges that may not serve you, perhaps you need to look into that.

I know it is easy to lean on other agencies such as drugs and alcohol, but if you have an ongoing problem with anger, I suggest you contact a professional, such as an NLP practitioner. Time Line Therapy™ is very good for resolving old anger.

Have A Super (and Anger Free) Day!