The Moment You Realize You’re Not Actually Angry at that Person?

Do you ever find yourself getting unusually mad with people over something that has little to no value in the grand scheme of anything? Like if someone unexpectedly interrupts your conversation or made some random comment that didn’t rub you the right way or just came at a time when you weren’t really feeling it. What usually happens? Do you find yourself upset, or maybe frustrated? Then that frustration is usually taken out on that person. You may yell at them or give them some sort of attitude or make your own snide remark. All the while, they’re standing there not knowing what just happened. Does that sound about right?

Here is something I would like you to consider. What if that person really isn’t the true source of your frustration or irritation? Sometimes we carry emotions from one set of experiences into others without even recognizing or realizing it. A difficult morning at work turns into an argument with your wife when you get home. An unresolved disagreement with your business partner causes you to take it out on your neighbor who simply asks you how your day went. It’s crazy how simple exhaustion can domino and influence how we respond to other situations when they have no relation to each other. I believe a large part of that is because we as normal human beings tend to focus on what’s immediately in front of us so attentively that we cannot always recognize what has actually brought us to that moment.

This is exactly where mindful awareness becomes significantly important and particularly valuable. Try imagining being in that moment, giving, let’s say, an irritated response, but while there, you recognize that your response seems highly disproportionate to what is actually going on. Instead of trying to take a defensive position, you start a practice of reflection to find out what caused you to land there. This, my friends, is or can quickly turn into your Kind Rebirth Moment.

Spoiler alert – nothing magical has transpired. No genies, no spells, no potions. The other person hasn’t changed, and those silly arguments and simple annoyances do not vanish into thin air. Why? Well, maybe that type of magic doesn’t exist OR mindfulness doesn’t actually erase troubling situations. I think awareness takes hold of you and allows you to create an opportunity to see the situation differently and grants you an ability to respond with much deeper clarity.

Another alert – people will continue to piss you off. It never stops, but when you start to practice a path of mindful thinking, it helps you to arrive at a place that let’s see what you are bringing to the experience. So, in a few minutes or a few hours or a few days when you feel frustrated with someone again, consider if your response is entirely born from this event or from somewhere else. Chances are that your aggravation is really with that person in front of you but with something that happened in a completely different space.

Stay mindful…

Rebirth