Being Kind to Yourself Starts with Not Getting Angry

Let's start with a question: Are you someone who easily gets angry?

In life, many things can happen that go against our expectations, whether minor like missing a bus or major such as being hurt or betrayed by a trusted person. Despite many things that can upset us, there aren't actually that many worth getting angry about. Getting mad over trivial matters is being irresponsible towards oneself. In the latter half of life, the winner depends on one's mindset. If you can control your anger, you are the winner.

Behaviour while angry is wrong 80% of the time. In psychology, there's the well-known 10-90 principle. It states that 10% of what happens to you in life is unavoidable, but the remaining 90% is determined by how you react to those events. If you maintain a positive mindset, you'll find positivity in life and not get too bothered by anything. However, if your mindset is poor and you're constantly getting angry over minor issues, it will only make your life worse. Around 80% of the decisions and behaviours made while angry are incorrect. Anger makes people biased, and it can lead to irrationality. In a fit of rage, people often make poor choices. This is why many make significant mistakes when angry. For example, a news report described a dispute between a taxi driver and a passenger. What began as a small issue escalated when the driver, unable to control emotions, ended up driving the vehicle towards the passenger. Unfortunately, the passenger lost their life, and the driver faced imprisonment. In moments of anger, no one wins.

Never make decisions in a fit of anger as you can't anticipate the impact on your future life. When angry, try counting to ten, calming down, and then reconsidering the issue. Don't let a moment of rage ruin several decades of your future life.

Let Go of Others' Mistakes and Free Your Own Heart

There exists a blood-sucking bat on the African savannah that latches onto wild horses' legs to feed on their blood and then flies away satiated. Though these bats don't take much blood, many wild horses, after being bitten, suffer and eventually die. The death of the wild horses wasn't due to the bats but the anxiety and frenzy caused by the biting. This phenomenon, punishing oneself due to the errors of others, is known as the "wild horse outcome." Anger, in fact, tortures oneself, punishing oneself. It breeds internally, harming the body while having no impact on others. It's not worth it. If you think about it, what's worth getting angry about, affecting our mood and health? And how many things from the last 5 or 10 years still make us angry? Many times, it's not the specific incident that troubles us but our present emotions. No one in this world is worth sacrificing your mental and physical health for. Don't get angry at petty people; they aren't worth your effort. Also, don't get angry with loved ones, as it can harm relationships and disrupt harmony. If someone hurts you, either retaliate or ignore them. Either way, never punish yourself with someone else's mistakes.

Be Resourceful Instead of Getting Angry In life, we inevitably face coldness, malice, and even humiliation. Getting angry and complaining is fruitless and won't earn anyone's respect. Instead of anger, it's crucial to rally your spirits and make changes. When you become stronger, the people around you become friendlier. This is the reality, harsh but true. Anger never solves problems. Others' opinions about you won't change because of your temper but because of your capabilities. When people look down on you, don't hastily react. Stay calm, focus on improving yourself, and prove yourself with your abilities. Always remember: patience is the highest form of contempt, and strong capability is the most decisive retaliation.

Time is invaluable, so why waste emotions on useless anger? There might be many reasons to get angry in life, but not getting angry needs just one reason: it's not necessary to make yourself suffer. If you are right, there's no need to be angry; that's punishing yourself for others' wrongs. If you're wrong, you have no right to be angry; correcting mistakes is the right approach. In life, getting what you want is accidental, and facing challenges is the norm. If every little thing that goes wrong makes you angry, life becomes dull. Anger is like slow self-destruction, and happiness is the secret to longevity. Being angry all the time, continually complaining, only makes life more difficult. Besides life and death, everything else is trivial. No one is worth sacrificing your happiness, and nothing is worth damaging your mind and body. Our time in this world is very limited; we're not here to be angry. Instead of wasting time with resentment, embrace life with a joyful heart.

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