Anger Management

A friend of mine rarely, if ever gets angry. He admits getting annoyed at people once in a while, but never angry with them. I greatly admire my friend’s attitude and I wish I could practice it myself. He has a relaxed style and demeanor that makes him a great person.

With me, I get angry all the time. The idiot who cuts me off on the road, the moron neighbor who lets their dog crap on our lawn or the buffoon in front of me at the salad bar, carefully deciding (and deciding) which items to put on her plate easily set me off.

My friend is right though. There is nothing I can do about these people so why bother getting angry. Why should I work myself up and get upset about something so trivial? Stay relaxed and focus my energy on more positive thoughts and forget about the losers who I encounter, my friend tells me. It’s a great philosophy and the determination and self-disipline he exhibits should be a model for all of us.

But I’m not that way. I take great pleasure of reminding my moron neighbor that his dog is crapping on our lawn. The other day he says “Good Morning, Mike. It’s a beautiful day outside today, isn’t it? To which I replied, “Hey moron, your f-cking dog is crappy on my lawn again.” The astonished look on his face gave me a great sense of joy.

How about that lady at the salad bar? I remind her that this isn’t rocket science and that taking so much time to make a decision is ridiculous. Just plop it on the plate and get moving I tell her. I view this as a courtesy and by pointing out her shortcomings she can improve behavior the next time. Without me screaming at the poor woman, she wouldn’t never realize what a pain she was being.

So the next time another driver cuts me off on the road, and I scream and yell at them you’ll know it’s my way of making myself feel better. Bottling up these primal emotions is not good for me. My therapist and I have discussed this many times. Because of his help, I’m the well-rounded and emotionally balanced person I am today.