chitchat

1. "Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten." (Budhha)

2. "The greatest remedy for anger is delay." (Seneca) Counting from 50 backwards not only provides a delay, but shifts brain activity from the emotional part to the analytical part of the brain, decreasing the intensity of the unwanted emotion.

3. Study relaxation and meditation techniques to reduce stress.

4. Discuss the situation, not the person; discuss the unwanted behavior without name-calling.

5. Remaining calm allows you to examine the options and seek solutions. Getting angry blocks clear thinking.

No one can make you angry. Whether you become angry or not depends on how you choose to react to circumstances. Suppose someone cuts you off in traffic and "makes" you angry, and you decide to speed up and do the same to the other driver. What is the result? You have turned over your power to the other driver. You started out driving safely, but now you are driving dangerously because of what someone did to you. You gave them the power to change your behavior! Does that make any sense?

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness." Not worth it, is it? Someone else wrote, "When you meet up with a disagreeable person, never allow yourself to be upset. Say to yourself, if a dowdy like that can stand himself all his life, surely I can stand him for a few minutes." With these thoughts in mind, let's remain in control of our most valuable asset, our mind.