Dealing with Anger and Stress
Have you ever been to the zoo and saw the signs that read, “DO NOT TAP ON THE GLASS?” I know I have. Those animals are not meant to live under constant scrutiny, caged up and surrounded by gawking people with camera flashes going off at least 12 hours a day. Can you imagine the stress those animals are under? Well, that is what humans are going through in this fast paced, work driven society. We have taken on so much stress and people are repeatedly “banging on our glass.”
We aren’t meant to live like this. Life should be much simpler. We need to take the time to enjoy the simple things in life. A walk in the park, day at the beach or even just sitting on our porches reading a book can all help us de-stress. We need this time to unplug ourselves from the matrix which is our day to day work-filled, time consuming schedules. At the end of the day ask yourself what you really accomplished. Did you spend meaningful time with your family? Did you learn something new? Or did you just invest all your energy into producing for a system (that only rewards you in money that you then spend on all your bills for STUFF you most likely don’t need?) A recent study has shown that the more humans acquire STUFF the LESS happy they are actually becoming. That inverse relationship is shocking. I bet hundreds of years ago people were much happier even though they didn’t own much.
Most likely, feeling like you are a hamster spinning on a wheel but not quite going anywhere is what is causing pent up anger and stress. I know this feeling personally. You get in your bed feeling utterly exhausted, yet you aren’t sure that you can even pinpoint exactly what you did to make you feel that tired.
UNPLUG. Hours of Facebook can be exhausting. Keeping up with an imaginary online world can be exhausting. Use your vacation time! In some countries in Europe vacation time is mandatory! Last but not least, if you die tomorrow your job will replace you. You are not replaceable to your family and friends.
BREATHE. Breathing exercises really help when you feel like you are going to explode. Count back from ten and try to remember what really matters.
Try not to disappoint your kids by missing an important school play or playtime with them because of work duty stress or anger. In the end, the only thing real is Love. More time spent loving and relaxing will undoubtedly alleviate some of your stress and calm your anger.
Namaste,
Aisha Thalia
