– The other day someone was tailgating me and flashing their high beams at me (at night). I was driving on a back road in my neighborhood where the deer and critters are abundant and the roads are winding. I got so angry.

– The other day my husband was rudely passed by a motorcycle that decided upon taking the lead then slowing down, drastically.  When my husband went to pass him, he sped up. Then slowed down, on purpose.  This angered him.

– The other day I received the hundredth call from the same telemarketing company that I’ve requested my number be removed from.  That made me angry.anger
– The other day the news did a report on….
– The other day in the store someone did…

It doesn’t matter except the end result was it made you angry.  And did you get angry for only a moment then move on with your life? Did you forget about that moment a moment later and think of something else? Most likely not. Most likely, you mulled over that moment, bitter, annoyed, irritated that that person, place or thing interfered with your life and caused you this outrage.  Most likely your face showed your heated feelings, your lips curled down, you forgot to smile at the cashier, you told your family about the incident when you walked in the door, you contemplated what you could have done.

I should have run him off the road!  But then I would have damaged my car, caused an accident, got a ticket or got arrested…  Glad I didn’t run that (grrrrrr) person off the road.

How many minutes went by?  How much of your life did you just lose to this nameless, faceless situation that will most likely never happen again, never meet again.  Don’t do it.

I know that’s easier to write than do, but think about it. Scientifically, anger is bad for your health.  You heal slower. It causes stress, heart problems, elevates the blood pressure, causes anxiety, can lead to depression, can even start someone drinking.

Why let a nameless faceless person do that to you? Take a deep breath, clear your mind and let it go. Don’t talk about it again, don’t bring it up when asked how your day was, don’t think about it. Let it go. Take a deep breath, use a stresssball, exercise, listen to calming music (or fun energetic music) ask a friend to tell you a joke, anything but taking retaliatory efforts or stressing about it further.

For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson