Anger just like every other human emotions is inevitable. It is a universal feeling we all must experience, creeping up on you and turning an absolutely perfect day into a complete nightmare . I have always struggled with managing my anger growing up which is largely associated with having four siblings, a niece with quite the attitude, cousins who were consistently up to no good, looks and my short stature making me feel like the world was always against me. As time progressed, after countless mistakes, failures, self reflection I was able to handle this emotion giving me some level of control over this overwhelming inner demon.
When I was 19, I had a little misunderstanding with a friend . What started off as harmless bickering amongst friends quickly turned into a brawl when he made fun of my biggest insecurity - height. All sense of reasoning went out the window, I lost control of my composure let my fists do the talking and before I could regain myself, he was already missing three teeths. After I was pulled away from and saw what I had done , I was filled with shame and regret. How did I let this happen?. Why did I allow my emotions get the best of me?, those are three teeths he will never grow back again and worse I was responsible for inflicting such horror on my friend. I questioned myself for weeks, hiding from the very person I once called 'my bestfriend' and so I vowed to keep the beast under control else I run into ruin sooner or later.
The causes of anger vary but all possessing the ability to do equal damage if we let them. There's anger caused by frustration which may result from the inability to get positive results from a particular task or stress. Anger can also erupt from past traumas or events one is still struggling with and not completely healed from. There are feelings of disrespect, hunger, lack of sleep among others. All these are causes of anger I have dealt and still do and I know It applies to a lot of people out there. Over the years I have been able to combate the tendencies of anger and below is how I do it.
- Watching Movies : this has been a very helpful method I have used over the years to deal with anger no matter how intense it gets. Whenever I feel like a particular person or issue is about to envelope me I simple ditch it entire and hop into world of movies( anime particularly). This helps me cope and after a few watch I am good and in the right state of mind to provide a reasonable response free from the influence of anger.
- Walking it off: This doesn't happen often as I tend to enjoy walks at evening hours. It calms me down, put things into perspective and also gives me enough time to think so I dont go off the handle. This is actually my favourite method but I don't always get to enjoy it's luxury.
- Humor: this has helped me so much that at one point people stated complaining that I was so unserious. Whenever things get super uncomfortable, I just picture my favorite comedians, cartoon characters etc laugh about it for a bit, my mood is balanced and my chakras aligned.
Other methods I have used to manage my anger also include singing, listening to music, dancing , cooking and working out.
After years of failing and learning, I have realised that managing anger isn't all about avoiding anger entirely because it is completely impossible as there is always something or someone waiting to tick you off, it is how you control the situation whenever it arises turning it into a tool for growth and locating inner peace .
Anger is not the enemy, don't let it control you.
