Managing Emotions at the Holidays
Tell me how not to be angry.
A friend asked me to help him recently. He was having a conflict with a difficult person in his life. When this person did certain things, my friend would get angry and react. He made statements and took actions that weren't in keeping with who he was and wanted to be. We talked for quite a while and I made some suggestions. I was clear that I couldn't do what he'd asked: I couldn't tell him how not to be angry.
Emotions happen. Emotions just are. It's the next step--what we do with that emotional energy--that determines whether we attack, repress, or connect. When uncentered, we're likely to let the emotion drive our actions. When emotions are the driver, usually one of two things happens.
