EP 504: Trying to Control The Circumstances Around us Leads to Increased Anger and Stress

One of the most effective tools we have to process and resolve anger in our bodies is acceptance. Let me explain what I mean. If I get stuck in traffic while on my way to pick up my young child from school, it is certainly a problem - and possibly a serious one! And in that moment, I have two choices: I can resent the traffic and fear the consequences, allowing myself to lose control and succumb to the stress and anger arising in me and ultimately hijacking my nervous system… Or, I can accept that there is nothing I can do to change the traffic and remain calm in the face of this potentially serious inconvenience. Whichever course I choose, the traffic doesn’t change and I am still late. But what does change - significantly - is who I will be when I show up to pick up my young child who is probably experiencing apprehension and fear because I’m not there for her. So in the first scenario, I show up in all my anger and stress and I exacerbate her fear. But in the second scenario, I show up in calm confidence and I allay her fear. In today’s episode, I talk at length about this and how valuable it is to be able to accept the circumstances around us - at least for right now: And if you’re interested in joining my online, interactive workshop next Sunday, May 16th, then please click this link to learn more and claim your spot: https://artburnscoaching.ac-page.com/how-to-transform-anger-into-motivation?test=true Also, tomorrow morning, I will be the substitute teacher in our Learning to Surf group meditation and discussion. So if you’re interested, I’d love to see you there. Click here to register: https://www.meetup.com/learning-to-surf-talks-on-buddhism-meditation-mindfulness/events/gggcgsycchblb/ Finally, if you have any questions at all about my upcoming webinar, program, or anything at all that you’d like to ask or share, I invite you to click this link to schedule a no-cost phone consultation with me: https://calendly.com/artburns/45-min-coaching-session