While there are many outlets for the feelings typically deemed positive, there are far fewer methods for constructively coping with anger, frustration, fear, sadness, or stress. Consequently, such feelings can cause us to believe that we are no longer in control of our emotional state. Backed into a mental corner, we may lash out at the first individual we encounter. Most of us will quickly discover that our misdirected outpouring of fury has not relieved the pressure of our pain. Powerful emotions are like the lava in a volcano poised to erupt, held in check with nothing but an eroding layer of calm.
Retaking control of our emotions at their height can be difficult because our already negative feelings can convince us that others are deserving of our wrath. But if we consciously look for healthier ways of expressing what we feel, we can both safely dispel our pain and use the energy of that pain to add value to our lives.
My Thoughts:
I have a hot temper, but like most people with Italian blood the outburst is quick but then it is done with. I am not one to seethe or stew in plots of revenge or loathing. Once the eruption has happened then that is the end of the matter. Mostly.
In the past I have tried known methods of stemming the explosion before it happens, but I have totally failed to put the theory into practice. I just can’t seem to bring all the expert teaching to mind in the split volatile second that I react to something. I would love to be the type of person that is placid and calm in all situations, but I just can’t manage it.
This sounds like I am constantly angry at everything, but far from it. It takes a lot to annoy me, or push me too far, and usually I am subject to the scenario of the straw-breaking-the-camels-back. The thing that actually finally makes me crack can be quite a small and insignificant thing as far as others can see, but it will have been an accumulation of those small things that tips me over the edge. If at all possible, I now try to walk away, but that is not always easy in the heat of things. I have a sharp tongue and quite a good command of language, which is often a lethal combination, and anyway … I could always write it in a story and do horrible things to the perpetrator in revenge.