Mad at the World: Owning Our Anger Without Letting It Own Us

One thing I hear from many people is their anger. It gets expressed in a lot of ways – blaming others, demanding perfection from others, demanding perfection from themselves.  It’s rarely expressed directly, so when it is so expressed, I take notice. Last week, a friend, after complaining about the supposed imperfection of someone he just met, suddenly said: In truth, I am just mad at the world!

Well, I am too.

There’s a lot to be mad about all around us. There’s so much chaos that it can feel overwhelming. We can feel helpless and powerless in the face of it. And when that happens, we look for something or someone to blame.

Completely understandable. And also completely ineffective, because blaming others doesn’t fix anything, and it leaves us feeling helpless and powerless.

My friend knows this, but in saying how mad and frustrated he was, he was able to own it: the anger, frustration, and pain he feels. Only then was he able to begin to feel more balanced and in control of his life. He lost interest in looking for fault in the person he just met. The topic of conversation turned to other things that were of genuine interest to us both.

His open acknowledgment helped me feel my own anger, frustration and pain, to own it and then to stop allowing it to capture and hold my attention.

I was able to change my energy and be more present for life.

I hope that you, in our current chaotic world, are able to disengage from this anger if it’s a part of your life at this moment. The only way I know to do this is to first acknowledge it. Acknowledge it’s realness, then deliberately take back your energy.

Quote of the Week

Take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space.

-Jill Taylor

Why we get mad and shy it’s healthy

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Maryanne Nicholls is a Registered Psychotherapist.  To find out more, gain access to her weekly newsletter, meditations and programs, sign up at www.thejoyofliving.co . 

If you’re interested in the topic of avoiding burnout for people who do too much, you may be interested in checking out my youtube channel.