"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires."
I don't really have a quick temper [in an outward way]...I used to somewhat, not long ago, but I've in a way changed and/or grown out of bursting out when something is not going my way or when someone makes me angry. But now, I sorta just get really angry inside, and often times I dwell on something small for way too long. Not really holding a grudge, I wouldn't say I do that, but when something makes me angry, I immediately tense up inside and my muscles get tight and I shut down to some degree, and often my face glazes over to a very neutral look. So those who don't know me as well can't really tell when I'm angry because I hide it. I hate that the smallest things make me angry, but sometimes it's just because it puts me over the edge after a tough day or when I'm trying to take care of something or focus on getting something done or something like that. I don't get angry and stay angry all the time, I love to be happy and happiness is always my choice.
We have a couple simple [should be easy] decisions to make everyday. You can choose to be and have a positive outlook, or you can choose the opposite, to be negative and have a negative outlook. Which one do you think is going to get you farther? Positive grows positive, and negative grows negative. Which is better to have more of?
Another related decision we have to make each day is to choose to be happy or angry/sad. Again, which one do you think is going to get you farther?
Here is another one, you can choose to trust God with every step that you take through your day that He will take care of the things you can't handle, or you can choose to try to do it all on your own. Which seems "easier"? That is a tough question, because it can be difficult to trust God with absolutely every aspect of your life, but it can also be pretty difficult to take care of everything all on your own. Which seems like it will get you farther, whether it is easy or tough to do?
So getting angry so quickly doesn't really have any positive outcomes. Maybe if it is someone that made you angry, they are going through a tough time. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Maybe it was a sales clerk at the mall or grocery store, or a waiter at a restaurant. Maybe they've been working a long day, haven't had many polite customers, have a tough situation going on at home, health problems, etc. You likely don't know what it is like to walk in their shoes. Maybe it was something, not a person, that made you angry. Well, not a whole lot you can do about that. You just have to always believe that it is going to be okay. That God has got your back. Trust Him.
The verse above tells us that we need to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. That's pretty good advice, in my opinion.
Everyone has their flaws, and struggle with things like that. I would probably not say that my "flaw" is being quick to get angry, but it sure seems like something I struggle with some days. But ya know, we are human, there are gonna be times that we make a mistake, every single day, getting angry quick at something relatively irrelevant could be one of them.
But it's something that each individual has to learn how to cope with according to what works for them. And ultimately, it all comes down to trust in God, having a positive outlook, and just trusting that it is going to be okay.
Now that I wrote all that and glanced back over it, it makes me seem like I get angry at every thing at all the time. Definitely not the case. Just some days are tougher than others to not get angry. I know everyone experiences this some days.
I choose to be positive. I choose to be happy. I choose to trust God.
And those are the best choices I can make every day.
Take a moment to reflect on the last time you were quick to anger, or to hold a grudge. Think about that situation and what made you angry. Think about what happened. Sure, there may be some significance to the event, but letting go of a grudge or anger feels good and lifts a burden off of your mind and body. Holding a grudge or getting angry quickly makes your muscles tight, which can lead to a world of other problems. So take five slow deep breaths now, and anytime you get angry. In through your nose, and out through your mouth. Slow. As you do this, ask God to forgive you for being angry and to help you release your anger and tension. And secondly, forgive the person whom you were angry at.
Deep breathing every day has been proven to release tension in the muscles. It is the body's natural way of relieving stress. While you breathe deep, picture the negative being released on your breaths out. I know I'm getting kind of on a different track here, but this is something important that relates.
"According to Golubic, breathing exercises create positive changes that help improve conditions as serious as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart failure. Breathing exercises improve lung function by “stretching” airway tissue and inducing the release of a “protective chemical” known to maintain airway integrity. As Esther Sternberg of the National Institute of Mental Health suggests in the NPR interview, deep breathing also shifts the body out of sympathetic nervous system control and into parasympathetic mode, a healthier, calmer state in terms of general well-being and biochemical balance. This curbing of stress hormones (like cortisol), in turn, preserves the body’s immune function and keeps blood pressure and heart rate in check.
Finally, deep breathing for relaxation can also influence gene expression related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular metabolism. Yes, I’ve covered this one before, but here’s a look back for those of you who have joined us recently. The longer you practice deep breathing, the more pronounced the benefits for any particular condition and for gene activity."
Here’s how to do it:
- Simply get comfortable in any position and put your hands on your chest and stomach.
- To maximize oxygen intake, it’s important to learn to breathe from your abdomen (“belly breathing”) rather than your chest. Focus on your breath until you feel your stomach rise and fall more dramatically than your chest with each inhalation and exhalation.
- Breathe in through your nose, hold the breath for a few seconds and then exhale through your mouth. The time it takes to exhale should be about twice what it is to inhale. (Many suggest a 4:7:8 pattern – 4 to inhale, 7 to hold, and 8 to exhale.) Let go of other thoughts while you breathe.
- Do 4-8 breath cycles 1-3 times every day.
Didn't mean to get long winded there, but it's been a while since I've posted and I had a lot weighing on the brain this morning.
So finally, as I've previously stated: Choose to - be positive, to be happy, and to trust God. Oh yeah, and breathe deep everyday, it's good for you.
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