This is another Day23 -related event, so I’m going be cryptic. I have trouble allowing myself to be angry at people and actually dealing with the anger in a direct way. It seems way too complicated to confront someone when you could just push the frustration away until you explode at unlucky clerks and other innocent bystanders.
One thing that I’ve learned from this blog project is that when I’m really struggling with doing something new, it is useful to go back to basics. So today when something at work made me so angry I could spit nails I decided to treat myself like an unhappy preschooler and give myself a time-out until I could function. I went to my desk, ranted quietly for a few minutes and took a few deep breaths. Then I went out and explained quietly to the person in question why his actions resulted in stress and complications and suggested ways he could accomplish the same goals in a more efficient manner.
Then I showed him the effigy I made of him and lit it on fire.
Or something like that. It was a productive conversation, I remember that part.