Carefully Letting Go of Anger

Posted on October 22, 2020

I’ve been holding onto a lot of anger, frustration, and resentment and I know it’s not good for me. However, I haven’t figured out how to most effectively let these feelings go. I’m realizing that it’s my attitude and beliefs that are causing me this pain and discomfort.

I think the first step is acknowledging and listening to what these emotions are telling me rather than trying to suppress them. Once I learn how to acknowledge my feelings, that they’re legitimate, I can safely say goodbye to those emotions. The best way I can explain these emotions is they are like the check engine light on your car; they’re there to tell you that something’s going on. So you stop what you’re doing, problem solve either by yourself or with a professional, and then you fix it and move on. You’re not supposed to be driving around with the check engine light on.

Easier said than done for sure. So how do I put this into practice for myself? I need to first forgive myself for my mistakes in the past and acknowledge that I can’t change the past. I can’t hop into a time-traveling machine and change the way things happened. I also need to pardon other people in my lives for perceived wrongs which means I need to stop ruminating about what happened in the past.

If I can successfully do this, it will be a huge weight off my chest. I think it will mean that I can focus on being present in the moment and spend less time thinking about the past. In a lot of ways, this is scary for me and hard for me to do but I believe I will be happier, healthier, and more at peace. Will I be successful?  I don’t know but I do know it’s worth the effort for the betterment of myself.