To Rise Above It

Hey All -- it's Sunday night again -- time for all my peeps and followers to groove to my words and to soak in my knowledge.

Hm.  Not sure where that came from.  But I digress.

I've posted many times about anger, about how it can wreak havoc on our lives and psyches if not controlled, and how it can be used constructively instead.  To add just a little bit to that, I've discovered a visualization technique that can help keep it at bay.

(1)  Close your eyes and take one deep breath.  All the way in, and all the way out.
(2)  Raise your right hand, palm down, and keep it level with your chin.
(3)  Curl it into a fist.
(4)  Place your left hand on top of it, pressing down on it.
(5)  Inhale deeply.
(6)  Exhale slowly.  As you do so, lower your right by pushing down slowly with your left hand.  Stop when you get to waist level.
(7)  Inhale deeply once more.
(8)  Exhale slowly.  As you do so, bring your hands to your sides and shrug your shoulders back.
(9)  Straighten your back and contract your abdomen.
(10)  Hold the position.

You were about to drown in anger -- like an ocean of lava or toxic acid.  Instead, you kept your head above water, pulled yourself out of the pit, and then shrugged off all remnants of it.  You are now on sold dry land, above the storm and chaos, and you are able to think clearly and see the problem for all that it's worth.  Nothing that happens can draw you back into the abyss.

Obviously, running can drive these feelings out of you better than anything else.  But if you find your feet confined to Florsheims, heels, or work boots instead of Asics, and can't bust out the door with a 7:30 pace, this should serve as a gap filler.

If you don't want people to actually see you perform these motions, just think of them while breather, but still perform 8-10, as they're still good for your posture and your core.  It'll also make you look just a little bit badass.  ;)

Feel free to repeat it a few times.  Chances are, you may still feel some anger in spite of what you visualize.  Picture it as "swimmer's ear."  Feel free to do that old-school swimmer's exercise to get it out.  :)

Just to reinforce the prior posts, you control the anger, it does not control you.  And if you want to be able to use it, make sure you are operating from a position of strength, and that you have a clear and obstructed shot to take.  Then, and only then, can the anger make you a winner.  Otherwise, it can only defeat you because you didn't handle it the right way.

DISCLAIMER:  Don't read into this, peeps, your boy ain't fuming or snapping at anyone.  He just may have figured something out, is all.

Last but not least, a good friend of mine has set up a site on Facebook to set forth her political and societal views.  You'll find that the topics tend to grow out of the blue perspective of life, and that's somewhat different from the content of this blog, but it's worth a read anyway.  Feel free to click on:  https://www.facebook.com/TheMoralCompass

Night, all!