I haven’t written for a while. I think I’ve been preoccupied with a bit of anger, and the desire to just get over it. But it’s been a lot harder than I thought.
Things happen all the time that can make us angry, but it’s all about how we handle them.
Over the last year, I’ve become very self-conscious about my weight and how I look. I turned into one of those women who beat you to the criticism so others couldn’t criticize me first; thus, hurling me into a spiral of depression. Then I started to say I just put on some happy weight considering I added my my first set of extra pounds after I started dating the love of my life.
But one week my quick draw comments weren’t so quick.
My weight was the last thing on my mind at my aunt’s funeral. But apparently it was the first thing on another relative’s mind when she greeted me.
As I gave her a hug, the uttered the words, “you got fat.”
All I could do was give a nervous smile and muster out “I’m working on it.”
I was mortified.
And angry.
In most situations when I get angry, I tend to do three things: I vent, I rationalize, and then I take action.
Needless to say, I tweeted and shared my frustration with anyone who would listen.
Then I thought, “Maybe she didn’t know what she did embarrassed me and hurt my feelings.”
But that was pointless because you will never know anyone’s intentions unless they tell you.
So I just decided to take action.
I wanted to get rid of the extra weight anyway. So I spurred myself into a full-on lifestyle change. For the first time in a long time, I’m running, taking spin classes, and being more active on a regular basis. I’m even making better choices about what I eat.
In fact, I’ve already lost at least 10 pounds.
So I guess anger doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, afterall.
“It is wise to direct your anger towards problems — not people; to focus your energies on answers — not excuses.” – William Arthur Ward
How do you handle your anger? Have you ever turned it into something positive?
