Earlier today, I was frustrated.
My first reaction was to lash out on Twitter.
Big problem: Doing so could severely damage my credibility. My readers would be turned off by such childishness in public. And rightfully so.
The old advice is to simply “bite your tongue.” If we all did that, nobody would be able to speak anymore. Instead of biting my tongue, here’s what I do.
Remember that thoughts can’t hurt you
Humans are survival creatures.
We will act on painful stimuli, real or perceived. It feels like it at the time, but thoughts don’t hurt. They may cause mental distress but they can’t actually hurt you physically.
Remembering this cuts down on the feeling that you need to act right away.
Once we no longer feel like acting immediately, we can remind ourselves of who we really are.
Remind yourself of your real identity
The person you are day-to-day is generally agreeable. That person has friends, family, maybe a professional job. You’re a different person when you’re angry.
Your real self doesn’t say the thing you want to say.
Your real self doesn’t do the type of things you think of doing when you’re angry.
Oftentimes, when we act out of anger we find ourselves regretting it later. That’s because we were a different person at the time. Remembering who we are eliminates this type of reflective pain in our lives.
We all have thoughts that run off on their own sometimes.
The key is remembering that we are in control of our bodies and minds.
I hope you have a beautiful evening with the ones you love.
If it’s just you, even better. Who loves you more than you?