Anger in the Spring Season and How to Transform It

Spring is underway and it's been so fun to get going with Spring Cleanses. It is truly interesting how our energy is very different than that of the Fall or Winter Detox. We are more eager and enthusiastic - and at the same time - we tend to be more volcanic. As in, any anger or underlying frustrations are waiting to be released.

"Just give me the opportunity and a reason to let go of this pent up emotion I have been holding onto and—"

My point here is to invite you to enjoy the extra bounce in your step and to also to be mindfully aware of any underlying anger you might be feeling. So you can move through it.

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” ~Buddha

It might feel like general moodiness or wanting to 'speak your mind'. When you sense this within yourself, that is step one. Can you investigate it a bit... where you're holding it in your body? You might want to describe what it is that is troubling you: "The story I'm telling myself is..." Be gentle with yourself - you have a right to feel this way. Go back into the body and see if you can soften the tension a bit. Can you breathe into it? Releasing on the exhale.

Reframe time: "How might I be able to transform this emotion I'm holding?" Is it a conversation that needs to take place? I encourage anyone to look up and get familiar with the “Non-violent communication" framework or search the Metta Mindfulness group for my take on the technique.

Maybe you use Thich Nhat Hanh's suggestion and try first to understand the suffering on the other side. I really love this. His book about "Cooling The Flames" would be a good read for many of us. Sometimes a Loving-Kindness Meditation is what is needed to soothe and move us through something we feel deeply upset about. There are all kinds of ways to let it go. Maybe you just blast some music and dance it out. Shaking works too! Shake legs, arms, torso, hands, feet, your entire body like a lunatic for a few minutes - it's great and usually hilarious.:)

“We tend to forget. We think that we are the only one that suffers, and the other person is our oppressor. This is enough to make anger arise, and to strengthen our desire to punish. We want to punish the other person because we suffer. …When we see that our suffering and anger are no different from their suffering and anger, we will behave more compassionately. So understanding the other is understanding yourself, and understanding yourself is understanding the other person. Everything must begin with you.” —Thich Nhat Hanh 

Ah. Sweet empathy. Towards ourselves and others.

Let it go.