If you cannot control your temper, it means that you are not in control of yourself. And, if you cannot control yourself you will have no control over the situation. In fact, if you cannot control your temper, you cannot control anything.
Most of us seem to be impulsive. We are quick to anger. We get angry at the drop of a hat. Sometimes—without rhyme or reason.
Anger is a weakness. It is not a strong point. We need to keep tabs on our anger levels and control our anger from getting out of our hands. If we lose our temper at pleasure, we may have to regret it at leisure.
The moment our anger levels rise to a point where it is no longer our control, we enter a danger zone. When we are angry, we do not think logically or sensibly. We just spit out words in a fit of anger. Many of those words may be derogatory, defamatory, or even insulting in nature and may become cause for regret at a later point in time. Just as we cannot retrieve a stone that has been thrown or an arrow that has been shot, a word that has been uttered too cannot be retrieved.
In order to control our anger, we have to find out as to what triggers anger in us. Sometimes, we approach situations with preconceived notions which do not find favour with us. In such cases, our very approach is negative in nature. It is natural, therefore, that we do not deal with the situation the way it should be dealt with—with a cool mind. Sensibly.
We get angry when things don’t go our way. We get angry when we are in a bad mood. We get angry when somebody takes us to task and we are unable to extricate ourselves from such sticky situations. We get angry when we are cash-strapped and are unable to find enough money to make both ends meet. Sometimes, we become irritable when we are ill. In fact, there are a hundred and one situations which could make us angry. Does that mean that we should go around spitting our anger everywhere? NO. And, it’s a BIG NO.
If we are in conversation with someone, we should hear them out. We should not respond before we fully understand the import of their viewpoint. Even so, we should respond sensibly rather than reacting to the situations. A conversation demands a response. Reaction is uncalled for in such a situation.
It is not only important to hold our own anger but also to refrain from reacting to provocation from the other side. We should take note of the instances when we got angry and dissect the situation that led to sudden outbursts.
Anger does not do anyone any good—neither to the one who is getting angry nor to the one who is the butt of the anger. It is best to keep your cool while dealing with provocative situations because it is the person with the cool mind who scores the points. The one who loses one’s cool loses the game.
One of the best ways of handling your anger is to contain our urge to react impulsively. Take a long breath, give it a thought and respond to the situation in a prudent and dignified manner. That will not only change your outlook but your entire life in the time to come.
