Letting go of anger and awaken to life's grand adventures
Anger can make us feel good and enlivened for a little while.
When we are angry we are often feeling self-righteous, critical,
judgemental and we have someone to blame for our own problems.
However, anger can easily turned to hatred and this can lead to
us doing and saying things we really did not mean to. It can
also drain our vital energy and leave us feeling drained and
washed out. Long term anger is likely to have a detrimental
effect on our liver, adrenal and nervous system - not to mention
our relationships with those around us.
If we can be honest with ourselves, what we are really angry
about is that something has happened that we did not want to
happen, or we did not get our own way, or things did not turn
out the way we wanted them to.
We may be angry because we planned a romantic dinner and went to
a lot of effort and our partner doesn't show up.
Or we may be angry because we were sacked from our job without a
good reason.
It could be that we caught someone out in a lie and we became
angry.
Whatever the reason for our anger, we have to take
responsibility for it, because we are the one who became that
way. When we get stuck in anger, we can not see clearly the
opportunities that are all around us all the time. We live in a
big world full of choices and possibilities. When we become
angry, we think that we know that way things should be and what
is right and just.
To release our anger we need to be aware of a few truths
1. No one every said that life was fair - sometimes unfair
things happen 2. The only certainties in life are death, taxes
and change. We live in a dynamic and ever changing world, so
things around you are going to change.
When you accept change is a part of life you stop clinging to
having things the same all the time and you can easily move on
when change occurs. If you loose you job, you see it as an
opportunity to move on, meet new people and develop new skills.
There are always ways to make money if you need it.
If your partner leaves you, you have the opportunity to learn
about yourself, your likes and dislikes, you have the
opportunity to grow and develop and look after yourself and
maybe find a new partner to grow with and love. You can find
ways to fall in love with life and living and then you will
never feel lonely.
No matter what happens to you there is always opportunities
around you. Sometimes horrible things happen, like the death of
a child. If something like this happens we need time to grieve
and then we must let go and move on and find ways to enjoy our
lives again. It can seem tough and it is, but time will heal,
just give yourself a chance to heal your pain and get
professional help if you need to.
But for most things in life we simply need to take a deep
breath, be prepared to move out of our comfort zones, and look
around and embrace the new experiences coming our way. And then
we do not have to be angry because something has not gone to
plan. We will know that every supposed set back is an
opportunity for us to learn and grow, to practice forgiveness
and compassion and unconditional love. We can control the
thoughts and actions of others but we can and should lead by
example with kind words and actions of our own.
When we can accept and embrace change, instead of reacting with
anger, life really can become and exciting and grand adventure.