Have you noticed tensions running a little high right now, in general? Have you noticed how on edge people are? Me, too. And I’m not always the observer of these interactions. Just yesterday I got a little animated with a woman on the phone as I tried to order my son’s senior picture. The website was a disaster and I was letting her know it when I saw my daughter, out of the corner of my eye, gesturing for me to bring it down a notch. I’m glad she did, I needed the reminder.

Although I appeared angry, I was really just frustrated. We are all frustrated right now. We are DONE with this pandemic and all that goes along with it. Tensions are definitely running high and although many of us are experiencing angry behavior, it’s more likely the fear of it all that has us lashing out. And fear manifests as anger, but it’s all because we are afraid to be vulnerable. Yup, vulnerability is the answer. If we shared our fear by exposing our vulnerability, we would most likely be received with compassion.

So whether you are delivering or receiving anger and frustration, it’s time for us to penetrate this aggressive front and find the compassion everyone is looking for right now. “I know you’re scared,” might be a good start. We should expect to encounter this anger when we are out, so maybe a little pep talk is required beforehand: “When I encounter anger today, I will meet it with calm, patient compassion and kindness.” Just a thought.

With Gratitude,

Beth

P.S. If you need a reminder—or a new T-shirt—go to www.Imkinderthanthat.com. That’s my favorite T-shirt BTW! Thank you, Bonnie!