Earlier today I got frustrated over (in hindsight) a pretty trivial situation. I had to run an errand for my brother (via our parents) and was running behind on getting it done since some work items were in the way. Once I got around to doing it, naturally I was in a rush. I ended up running into a few different issues with the errand that inconvenienced me and ended up getting upset about it in the moment. Pretty simple backstory.
However, after I took a moment to process it, I was honestly embarrassed. I wish I could have rewinded just a few steps to tell myself to take it easy. My mind quickly went back to this post I came across last year and loved:
I detest anger as a tool to get things done or to convey emotions most of the time in terms of one’s practical daily life. It’s something I’ve struggled to deal with both when I come across it in myself and from other people in how to respond to it. This is not to suggest I’m out here yelling at my loved ones 24/7 but it’s something worth reflecting on regardless of how it weighs against other people or the standard for society.
I think it’s important we step back and take responsibility for projecting our anger on others when we lose our temper. Then, we do our best to stop ourselves the next time by responding to situations with healthier responses. The world would be a better place if we just improved upon that even by 1% everyday. At the same time, we have to forgive ourselves and be willing to give ourselves a chance to make these improvements and reflections gradually. Patience doesn’t develop overnight and certainly not without tests to build it.
If you have any thoughts about this or cool learnings on anger in general as an emotion, please hit me up. Tomorrow is a fresh start.