How to slow down your anger
Quote of the Day: “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” —MARK TWAIN
You’ve probably noticed by now how easy it is to get upset. Anger can well up in the heat of the moment, or for practically no reason at all. The surge of hormones in young manhood can make the best boys suddenly difficult and cause relationships to be strained because of the mighty
mood swings. Learning not to blow up over the slightest irritation is a sign of maturity.
Responding to friends and even family members in an appropriate and measured way instead of in anger is often a challenge. When others don’t respect your space, your things, or your time, it can be easy to give them a piece of your mind. Unfortunately, the effort to have others respect your boundaries often veers into unkindness and mean-spiritedness. This keeps you from staying on task while asking others to respect your wishes.
Being slow to anger takes practice. Just like many other things we will discuss in this book, it’s not a one-and-done type of thing. Instead, you will likely fail, need to ask for forgiveness, and need to work hard to do better next time.
Everyone needs to practice self-control, and it really is practice. It doesn’t come easily.
If you fail, don’t stop trying. Keep getting back up and work to become better. Over time, and through much practice, we all can develop the habit of being slow to anger.
