This one's for YOU. If you are anything like myself, you have found that patience is not your virtue. Throughout your life, you have always struggled with biting your tongue, acting on impulse, and being brash when something or someone makes you upset. The feeling is all too familiar for us who struggle to manage anger, your blood sometimes boils so hot that you know it is best to leave the situation before things escalate. You may have even acted out a few times in aggression on your feelings of animosity towards a certain situation.
Anger can cause you to miss out on the full qualities of life. In the past, my temper has caused me to fight with my family, friends, teachers, fellow employees and employers. I felt like I always had to have the last word and no matter what I did I couldn't shake the impulsivity to lash out. Having a short fuse stopped people from wanting to be associated with me because of the unpredictable outcomes of my character. I knew something had to change before I entered adulthood so jaded.
When I left my teen years, things changed tremendously for me. Maturity helped me become more prudent when talking to people and dealing with the things that had once upset me. My family and friends were way too important to be the target of my personal issue any longer. I started to blow things off that were not really important enough to upset me in the first place.
Avoiding all triggers was the next step. If my parents or friends would start any sort of confrontation with me I would walk away if I did not feel like I could respond in a mature, calm manner. My escape became talking it out with maybe another family member or friend who could offer different perspective on the trigger situation.
I then began to view anger as a weak and medieval emotion. Bringing consciousness to the forefront of my mind was the best thing I could ever do to combat my issue with anger management. I still slip up sometimes and will talk back to people, but I usually apologize before I ever let myself feel reverted back to that old person I was before. I never wanted to become the hot-heads you see on scripted reality TV shows that embarrass us Americans by making us all look like imbeciles. Everyone has their own way of dealing with their anger. Targeting the triggers before anyone else has the chance to identify your weakness is the safest and most efficient way to beat it. Once your blood temperature goes back down to normal and the steam ceases to leave your ears, you will be proud of your self control and have a much better chance at a normal life. I never quite understood what people meant by 'you're letting them win when you react like that'. Now, looking back I definitely see that taking a step back and looking at things logically is the best way to solve something. Letting someone get a rise out of you is defeat.
