We Do Explode: Anger
Moderating Your Reactions
I imagine that more than once, you have felt so frustrated that you had a tremendous urge to scream. Just like other times, you have been so angry and upset inside, that you felt like a volcano about to erupt. We all feel this way at times. It’s normal, so don’t be alarmed.
I remember the day that my brother Fernando was getting married. I was just 16 years old and I was so happy, because I was going to wear a beautiful blue dress my mother had made for me. A month ahead of time we took my shoes in to be dyed to match. I was going to be a hit at the party; I was sure everyone would admire me. Well, the shoestore called a few days before the wedding to say they would not be able to have them ready by that Saturday. My cousin Nibaldo took the message but he forgot to tell me. When I heard the bad news I thought I would die of rage; I cried for hours out of desperation.
Of course not having those shoes wasn’t the end of the world. Thank goodness my mother solved the problem by dyeing them herself. But I was still terribly angry. My brother and my cousin thought that I had blown the incident out of proportion.
As you see, anger is a very strong emotion, especially when something we really want doesn’t work out. What’s important is to realize that you were overreacting, and to try to think about people around you and what they are going through.
