Wednesday, March 29, 2017

LAUGH AWAY ANGER



People take life far too seriously. There are important issues in our world such as child abuse, war, poverty, starvation, disease, etc.  These are all matters critical for the well-being of humanity. Each one needs to be addressed and resolved quickly in order to protect mankind and eliminate unnecessary suffering. But we give too much credence to incidences of little value and in turn cause ourselves grief and heartache. Add to that the unnecessary anger we experience and it's no wonder we're all so miserable. 

Elbert Hubbard: "Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive."

Laughter is a powerful tool that possesses many valuable qualities and serves multiple purposes. On a physical level, it strengthens the body's natural immune system, reduces stress hormones, improves cardiovascular health, reduces pain, relaxes muscles, and much more. On a personal level, it brings people together, boosts moral, alleviates depression and stress, minimizes negative conflict, puts people at ease by reducing tension between them or in a particular situation, and increases our overall enjoyment of life. It also alleviates fear and anxiety, energizes us and makes us feel more alive; it puts us in a more positive optimistic mood, encourages resiliency, and intercepts, minimizes, and even heals anger. On every level, it's an attribute worth utilizing in all aspects of our lives. 

Dr. Bernie Siegel: "The simple truth is that happy people generally don't get sick."

But how do you use laughter to thwart anger? First and foremost, it's critical to train ourselves to not take things so seriously. If someone comments that your homemade cupcakes are dry, rather than take personal offense, which leads to hurt feelings and anger, one can choose to respond with humor. "It's my secret ingredient - sand." Everyone can have a good laugh rather than becoming angry, putting people on the defensive, or escalating a simple comment into an argument.

Taking the proper steps necessary to be physically healthy, such as exercising, eating well, getting enough sleep, etc. is critical to warding off disease. So is developing a "laughable lifestyle" necessary to protect us against the perils of anger. Here are some suggestions.

The Laughable Lifestyle:
Look for humor in every situation. ~ Associate with funny, playful people including children.
Watch funny videos, TV shows, movies. ~ Go to a comedy club.
Read the comics in the newspaper. ~ Learn some good jokes and tell them to your family, friends, and coworkers.
Share a funny story with others. ~ Read funny greeting cards in your local Hallmark store.
Attend a laughter yoga class. ~ Be silly with your kids/grandchildren.
Do anything and everything silly: wear a funny hat when you go out to dinner; sing and/or dance while  food shopping; skip instead of walk.
Engage in fun activities (bowling, miniature golf, etc) and make them funny.
Make some silly memories now! Those inane moments are the treasures that bring us joy as we age. They become some of our fondest memories and will naturally stir up laughter when recalled.

Look at the Lighter Side:
Don't take yourself too seriously. Too often, we beat ourselves up for making poor decisions or not being  good enough. We are hyper-critical of ourselves whereas we might be more understanding and compassionate towards others. Whenever we create a blunder, unless it causes serious duress to another, make light of it. Laugh at yourself!
When I moved into my current house, I chose an interesting color scheme for the living/dining room. My husband suggested I paint a small area first to determine if in fact I'd like it. But I was so confident that I painted both rooms in their entirety only to discover I was not happy with my color choice. Not only did I make this error once, I repainted nine times in one month before settling on a basic beige. Rather than be embarrassed or berate myself, I made sure to tell everyone my hilarious story of indecision. I embellished it each time I related it to someone new. Twenty years later, I still get teased and twenty years later we're all still laughing about it. We've gotten a lot of laughter mileage out of that one incident.
Say or do things in a humorous way. Whenever possible, use exaggerated movements, funny facial expressions, a silly tone of voice. Embellishing any situation adds an new dimension of wit.*

Don't take others seriously, either. When others make mistakes or behave in a manner unbefitting them, laugh it off.
A driver made an illegal left-hand turn at an intersection, cutting me off and nearly causing an accident. When I honked my horn to show him the "no left turn" sign, he went ballistic. Flailing his arms like someone swatting bees and ranting hysterically, I found myself amused at what a fool he was making of himself. Surprisingly , rather than become annoyed at his childish behaviors, I began laughing at his idiocy. "He can't be serious," I remember thinking to myself.
Be warned that you must be sensitive in this area. Never make fun of the person but instead joke about the incident if it allows for it. Be certain that you know the individual well enough to interject humor into the equation. Be very cautious when proceeding because this could backfire if you are inconsiderate of the other person's feelings and situation. And keep in mind that sarcasm is not humor - it's passive aggressive anger and is never appropriate to use against another human being. 

Look for the humor in a dark situation. With very few exceptions, one can find humor even in the saddest, loneliest, or scariest times. A cancer patient, after losing her hair from radiation treatments, quipped that she was grateful that she didn't have to dye  her hair any longer. "It was such a pain!" she joked, "and expensive!" Unless it is a moral issue or one of life or death, most distress can be alleviated with a joke or two.
When our basement flooded years ago, my husband and I spent a total of fourteen consecutive hours siphoning up water. He moaned and complained the entire time. I got a rubber duck out of my closet, placed it in the four inches of water that covered the floor, and while I vacuumed up the water with my shop vac, I sang the rubber ducky song from Sesame Street. I took a difficult situation and brought humor into it. The task was far less aggravating for me than it was for my husband.
I recently had company for dinner. While making homemade biscuits, I forgot to add baking powder. Needless to say, they did not rise and were hard as a rock. My son-in-law commented that they looked  like hockey pucks. The next day, I called him to say that I put them outside for the squirrels to eat but even they found them distasteful. They were, however, having a ball playing hockey. 

Groucho Marx: "A clown is like aspirin only he works twice as fast."
"If you can find humor in anything, you can survive it." Bill Cosby

Surround yourself with reminders to laugh. Cut out cartoon strips or funny photos and place them on your refrigerator door, your desk, the bathroom mirror, etc., anywhere that they will remind you to find humor today.
 Wear a clown costume while you're mowing the lawn; spray paint your hair two different colors before visiting your mom; put smiley face stickers all over your shirt before going to work.
The more you seek humor the more you'll find it; the more you pursue laughter the less you'll focus on anger.

Have a laughing buddy. Like joy, humor shared is humor multiplied. Sharing laughter with others keeps relationships healthy and uplifted. It acts as a bonding agent that brings people together (unlike anger which causes a division). Relationships become more playful, vital, and supportive. It heals resentments, disagreements, and hurts, puts things into their proper perspective, and unites people in difficult times. Like chicken pox (only in a good way) laughter is contagious  and when you share a good chuckle with another person, it magnifies your own joy as well.
Laughter at funerals used to be frowned upon but when my mother-in-law recently passed away, everyone was asked to wear crazy socks and ties. We all shared funny stories about Mary that soothed the loss and brought her family together. It was definitely what she would have wanted.
One of my favorite pass times is listening to my girls giggling with their cousins. Even though they're all in their forties, they still laugh as they did when they were single digit ages. Their laughter is infectious and soon everyone within earshot is chuckling as well.
Don't have a laughing buddy readily available? Pull up a video on Youtube of babies laughing. I guarantee it will activate your funny bone. 

A smile is the beginning of laughter. So initially, you may want to begin with being conscious of your smile. Use is often; display it every place you go; share it with everyone you encounter. Make it the most important accessory you wear each day. It's more significant than your makeup, hair style and color or wardrobe. 

We are naturally drawn to laughter. It is our birthright and makes us feel good. And since you can only experience one emotion at a time, choose humor. It will prevent anger from arising and keep you healthy and beautiful at the same time. And it's free. Doesn't get any better than that.

Q**  Will Rogers: "When I die I want to go peacefully like my grandfather did - not yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car."
Rodney Dangerfield: "My psychiatrist told me I was crazy. I said I wanted a second opinion. He said, Ok. You're ugly too."
A.A. Milne "People say nothing is impossible but I do nothing every day."
Walter Matthau: "My doctor gave me 6 months to live but when I couldn't pay the bill he gave me 6 months more."
Rita Rudner: "I love being married. It's great to find that one special person you can annoy for the rest of your life."
George Burns: "I'm so old that when I was a boy, the Dead Sea was only sick."
Charles Lamb: "I always arrive late at the office but I make up for it by leaving early."
Mitch Hedberg: "I wish my name was Brian. This way when people misspell it and call me Brain, it's like getting a free compliment and I don't even have to be smart to notice it."

*See comedian Sebastian Maniscalco:  https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-mozilla-004&hsimp=yhs004&hspart=mozilla&p=sebastian+maniscalco#id=1&vid=c8c50ba0daa711f73c07e0b6571fb0d7&action=click 
**www.AZQuotes.com

Order  The Secret Side of Anger, Second Edition or The Great Truth @ http://www.pfeifferpowerseminars.com/pps1-products.html

Listen to past shows on iHeart Radio @ http://ow.ly/OADTf
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

"GO AHEAD - GET GOOD AND ANGRY!"



It's hard to avoid getting angry. Even those who are relatively easy going find themselves irate from time to time. At the most inopportune moments, anger can rear its ugly head and create all sorts of havoc in our lives. Consider these examples:

You've been under extraordinary amounts of stress lately and your daughter is late coming home from a date. As she walks in the door, you blow up at her, screaming that she's grounded for a month.

You open your latest property tax bill only to find that there's been a major increase. You call the town and lash out at the receptionist telling her that the government is corrupt and you're not going to give them any more of your hard earned money.

In a discussion on social media, it becomes apparent that you, a passionate vegan, do not share the same beliefs as a "friend" who loves a good steak on the grill. You get into a heated argument resulting in you calling her a hater and killer, powerful words meant to demean and sting.

Anger is a messenger that alerts us to the fact that what is occurring is wrong, according to our beliefs and standards. Perhaps we are being treated unfairly or we perceive that someone is in danger.

Anger provides for us the opportunity to make any necessary adjustments in order to right an inequity. We can correct that which violates our principles, restore justice to a discriminatory situation, or perhaps redirect the course of an occurrence in order to prevent any harm from befalling us or others. In any event, anger like any other emotion, is not inherently bad or wrong. Every feeling has a purpose and understanding what that is, is critical to knowing how to utilize it in a positive and constructive way. Good anger  is beneficial and results in positive changes for all those concerned. It finds solutions, uplifts, protects, corrects, enhances, and enriches lives. Bad anger, on the other hand, makes matters worse for the one with the ire as well as those who are subject to its effects. It can cause physical, emotional and/or psychological pain, intimidate, instill fear, damage relationships, cause the destruction of property, send people to jail, destroy lives, and even kill.


Following  few simple steps can ensure that the anger you experience will always be of the good variety.  

BA: Bad anger; GA: Good anger

Postpone expressing yourself until you've calmed down. We've all learned by now that when we are highly emotional we run the risk of saying something offensive or doing something foolish that will only exacerbate matters. Give yourself enough time to calm down, cool off, think about what the real issues are, and the best way to discuss them. (Refer to the SWaT Strategy in The Secret Side of Anger)
Ex: Your neighbor's children ride their bikes on your lawn even though you've asked them several times not to.
BA: You are livid and want to go next door immediately and berate the parents, telling them that their kids are unruly and that if they were good parents they would teach their kids to respect other people's property. You then want to demand that they pay for the damages done to your lawn and threaten them with a lawsuit if they don't.
GA: However, by giving  yourself time to consider the real issues here, you determine that this is not necessarily an issue of bad parenting. Your real concern is the continued financial burden and time expended correcting the ongoing damage done by the children. The real issues, then, are your time and money. Having clearly identified them, you are now able to discuss those issues only, leaving any volatile comments about your neighbor's parenting abilities out of the discussion. In this regard, you can hopefully preserve a respectful relationship with them.

 State what you're angry about and why. We think that we have a right, and that it's best, to verbally express our anger. Some people sincerely try to find an appropriate way of doing so. However, if you look closely, to express anger means to verbally or physically let it out; to actually be angry. Anger typically appears as  yelling, cursing, criticism, sarcasm, hitting, throwing things, and/or punching. It can also take a more subtle, passive/aggressive  guise such as excluding someone or giving them the silent treatment.
BA: "I can't believe you broke my favorite lamp! My grandmother gave it to me and it's irreplaceable. You have no respect for my personal property! I knew I couldn't trust you! If I broke something of yours you'd be furious!"
GA: "I'm really upset that my antique lamp got broken. It was given to me by my grandmother and can never be replaced."
In the second example, you explained your anger, you don't express it nor attack or blame the responsible party. This thwarts the need for the other person to defend themselves against and allows the encounter to remain civil. In this regard, you open the door to finding solutions instead of arguing.

Evaluate for fairness.  Ask yourself, "Am I  being fair and reasonable in this situation?" Taking a moment and evaluating your circumstances prevents you from making a foolish or possibly deadly error in judgment. It also enables you to evaluate what truly matters. Is this situation really that serious? Is it worthy of your anger? Are you blowing things out of proportion?
BA: "If you don't eat all of your peas I'm throwing away your bike!" a frustrated mother screams at her six-year old.
GA: Mom re evaluates the situation. "Tommy is a pretty good eater but he really does hate peas. I could give him string beans instead. He'll eat those will less fuss. As long as he eats some veggies I'm happy." Problem solved and everyone's happy.
In taking a moment to reassess our position , we have the opportunity to better know ourselves, to analyze our priorities, to reassess our values. There may be some postures in need of minor adjustments; others that need to be discarded completely. A moment of contemplation can be very enlightening and as a result we evolve to a higher awareness of the self and life in general. On every level, this is a significant benefit.

Separate the issue from the individual, the problem from the person. How many people can consciously separate being angry about an issue rather than with the individual?
BA: "Our family reunion is today. I've worked for a year planning this and now it's raining. I told you not to have it in April, the rainiest month of the year. But, no, you wouldn't listen to me. You are so selfish and controlling! You ruined the entire day!"
GA: "I can't believe it - it's raining and we have sixty people coming over for our annual family reunion. I had a feeling this was going to happen. This is going to be a disaster if we don't act quickly. We all need to make some phone calls to see if we can rent some tents or a local VFW hall."
In this instance, even though the couple clearly had different ideas as to when to host such a large gathering, the wife fully understood that even though she disagreed with her husband's choice of dates, she did concede to his way. Taking responsibility for her decision, anger directed at her spouse would be unjust. In this moment, she was angry over the situation - the fact that her hopes for a sunny day were dashed by precipitation. She did not blame or attack her husband; she attacked the problem not the person.
Contemplate this: the next time you get angry, take your favorite object in your house and smash in on the floor. When you have calmed down, re evaluate your actions. Feel the regret for having damaged something valuable that was not responsible for how you felt. Now, imagine taking your anger out on another and causing them harm. Like the object, they are not liable for your feelings yet they suffered the consequences of your wrath. There is no justification in your actions.
 
Make matters right.  Put forth 100% of your efforts into making matters better. After accurately identifying the issue behind the rage, concentrating on finding a solution, on fixing what is broken or does not work, on correcting an injustice or restoring fairness to a situation. By doing so, you are creating positive change in a negative environment that will benefit all parties.
BA: For a long time, there has been one member at work who does not do their share.  You continually pick up the slack for them. "Enough is enough. From now on, I'm going to do the bare minimum, just like my coworker. If they can lax then so can I."
GA: "I need to address this issue with them and hopefully get it resolved. If that doesn't work, I'll bring it to the attention of my supervisor. In any event, I take pride in doing my job well and will continue to do so. However, I will no longer do theirs for them."
In the second response, you have chosen to use your anger to try and rectify an impropriety. Regardless of the outcome, you do not allow your circumstances to cause you to lower your standards.  You resolve to rise above and be pleased with who you are at all times.
 
 No one needs to fear anger nor deny it should it arise. Anger can be beneficial if you understand why it has appeared and what you need to do with it. Keep in mind the following suggestions:


~Postpone expressing yourself until you've calmed down.                                                                                                        
 ~State what you're angry about and why.      
~Evaluate for fairness.
~Separate the issues from the individual.
~Make matters right.                                                                                                                               





Now that you've done that, go ahead and get good and angry.

Q: “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”
Ambrose Bierce

Order  The Secret Side of Anger, Second Edition or The Great Truth @ http://www.pfeifferpowerseminars.com/pps1-products.html

Listen to past shows on iHeart Radio @ http://ow.ly/OADTf
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