Featured Image Credit: Michael Fousert on Unsplash
The city was abuzz with activity, and the traffic was as thick as the smog. A taxi driver sliced his way through the traffic. The passenger calmly scrolled through a cell phone, reading and laughing.
How many times has the taxi driver made this drive? He lost count years ago. As he attempted to turn, a car aggressively cut off the taxi.
He had to stomp his brakes to keep from barreling into the offender.
The car jerked forward and got the rider's attention. The passenger looked up in surprise at the situation unfolding. The taxi driver didn't lash out or scream. He calmly continued his turn and kept driving.
A quick adjustment to the radio, and they were back on track.
"Hey," the customer spoke for the first time, "why didn't you honk at that guy?"
"Everyone is like a dump truck." He confidently said, "They get garbage dumped into them throughout their entire day. Stress from work. Rumors about them from "so-called friends. Spouses at home who don't respect or value them.
They get financial strain and an unfulfilling work-life for days and weeks.
Eventually, they are so full it shows up in unexpected ways."
As people get the weight of Stress and life choices dumped on them, they become burdened. It isn't the thousands of pounds you may be carrying. It is about the one pound that crosses the weight limit.
The straw that broke the camel's back was only one light piece of straw. But piled on top of the hundreds of other pounds, it becomes too much to withstand.
I have, like all of us, be the dump truck. I was collecting my failures, losses, and the times when things didn't go my way. The dump truck has to empty somewhere. A misplaced sock could be the catalyst.
How do we prevent these things from filling up our dump trucks? How do we keep from getting stressed out?
Identify Triggers
What sets you off? What makes you upset? Can you control these factors?
I've noticed people tend to spend time being angry, upset, or frustrated at things they cannot control. Feeling powerless guarantees, you'll always be angry.
Instead, try to find ways to mitigate the effect. Acknowledge you cannot control it. Then find the avenues you can control to improve the situation.
For example, we can't predict how many people will visit our social media page. We can control the effort in our posts.
You don't have control over how many people hire you. You can control how many people see your business.
Identify the ways that start adding to the pile, then look for ways to counteract it.
Find a Safe Release
It is normal to get frustrated. Sometimes we need to release the frustration of the situation. Find something you can rely on regularly.
For me, it was always music production if I was sad. Or mad. No matter what the situation, I would make music on my laptop. I have a music production program, and I would make instrumentals.
It helped to calm me down. I know some people who like to write or draw in similar situations.
Find a safe way to let out the feelings, so they don't build up like the dump truck. The more we let it build, the higher the chance is we let it out on the wrong people.
Don't be afraid to acknowledge you might be angry or upset.
It would be best if it were something you could turn to frequently. I always have access to music programs.
If it isn't something you can easily access, it may be challenging to get timely relief.
What's Next?
It is normal to get upset. Personal anger can explain times when people lash out by cutting you off in traffic or cursing at you. The traffic may have been the last straw in their garbage truck.
Understand other people may come at you with anger for this reason.
Identifying the events and situations that trigger the feeling is essential to preventing it. Realize what causes these feelings and take measures to mitigate them.
The more we can take back control, the better our lives will feel. Feeling in control is an effective way to improve how we feel.
Find a safe release for the tension you feel. It is natural to get angry, frustrated, or upset. Find a constructive way to release the tension.
Realize others may act out more from previous situations than you. We can prevent outbursts by being mindful of our own lives and triggers.
The most important thing you can do is self-care. As flight attendants announce, "you must first put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping those in need."