Rage is really just a mask for this tricky emotion that likes to hide behind anger’s facade.

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There’s a handful of topics that tend to take my anger meter from a 1 to a 10 in seconds.
 
One minute, I’m sitting, enjoying time with the family, and the next I’m yelling at the TV, calling someone a f’ing idiot.
 
(I don’t like this version of myself and recognize that yelling profanities at the evening news isn’t normal behavior.)
 
Lately, I’ve been working on a new strategy to diffuse my frustration: 

1. Take a deep breath (inhale for at least 5 seconds).
2. Ask myself, “What are you afraid of?” (I recognize that fear is the root of almost all anger.)
3. Quickly determine if there’s anything I can do about it. If the answer is “nothing”, I choose to let it go.

This simple 3-step process may not eliminate the aggravation, but it almost always lowers the anger meter back below a 5.    
 
Life is too short to allow the outside world to drive your inside emotions.

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—CJ McClanahan

Speaker | Advisor | Recovering Overachiever

CJ McClanahan