I know why you're here. You want to hear me rant about something. Really dive into something that grinds my gears! Well, I've got some news for you. I am not personally angry at anything. Sorry to upset you but it takes a lot to get me angry and to stay angry these days. Today's blog post is really just centered around a quote that I read a while back and it has stuck with me. I think about it all the time. Here is the quote:
"Anger is self-punishment for someone else's behavior."
Now that is some real talk right there! When we are angry, all we are doing is causing ourselves pain and strife. The only person that is being affected by your anger is yourself. You can be upset about someone else all you want but that is not going to change anything. Plus, if you act on your anger, then the matter only gets made worse.
Too often do we allow other people to take control of our emotions. To dictate how we are feeling. And we just let them. We let other people make us feel all sorts of ways. And that's totally fine! Your emotions are valid and you can feel whatever you want and let yourself sit in the pain of it all as long as you want. But we can either choose to be the victim of our emotions or take power over our lives.
Taking back our power isn't the same as controlling every aspect of our lives - that is just a defense mechanism to keep us from actually feeling what we are feeling. What it is, is not allowing ourselves to sit on the sidelines and let life pass us by as we wallow in our pain and sadness. Feel it, yes. Feel all of the feels!! But don't identify yourself as whatever it is you're feeling. Our collective mindset right now is one of, "I am angry." As opposed to, "I am feeling anger right now." The difference is one defines our identity as that emotion. The other is an acknowledgment of what is happening in the moment with a recognition that this too shall pass.
Whenever we start experiencing unpleasant emotions, it can feel like our whole world is now anger, sadness, jealousy, whatever. The slightest inconvenience makes us think, "Wow I'm never going to be happy again. I can't even remember what it was like to be happy. My whole life is ruined forever." Step into the role of the observer. Watch your emotions as they pass through you. Eventually, in a snap - they will simply disappear.