An important tool in anger management is basically a CBT principal that I have adapted into my own philosophy. I believe that when we allow anger to take hold it can gradually destroy us inside and then move outwards to those around us, even to those who we love.
I believe the facts as follows :
- You cannot alter people around you.
- You cannot alter situations around you.
- The only thing that you can ever alter is your reaction to them.
Just to qualify those remarks :
- You can influence some people some of the time.
- You can influence some situations some of the time.
- The only thing you can totally influence all of the time is your reaction to them.
If your happiness relies on people and situations being a certain way then . . .
- You will only be happy when people behave in a way that you have decided that they should behave.
- You will only be happy when situations turn out in a way that you have decided that they should turn out.
Therefore you are limiting your happiness purely to chance, meaning only during those times when your rules for the world are adhered to by others or circumstances.
The solution begins with
If you decide instead to have preferences rather than absolute demands and choose to accept life as it is, especially when you have no control over the situation, then you are choosing to protect your sanity.
You don’t have to like it but if you cannot calmly influence it or change it, then I believe that you are left with only two choices.
- Accept it, even if that means just for now and maybe you can influence it later.
- Or you can decide to get angry, shout, scream, have a tantrum, hold a grudge, moan about it or get an ulcer.
But if none of that is going to actually change the situation, what is the point ?
Ask yourself this, in the end what is more important ? . . .
- Still trying to get your own way when it’s out of your control, and it’s obvious that all your anger-filled efforts are futile. or
- Maintaining your health and sanity and being as happy as life allows at that time and reserving the right to still influence what we can in the future.
