Dealing with Anger
“The most heated bit of letter-writing can be a wonderful safety valve,” AA co-founder Bill W. said, “providing the waste basket is somewhere nearby.”
This is a delightful bit of advice about the right way to handle anger. Writing an angry letter is at least a way of bringing our feelings out so that we can see them. This is far healthier than the peculiar method of “stuffing” one’s feelings and pretending that there was no hurt or offense.
But an angry letter, once mailed, can be more destructive than a bullet. We may live to regret ever having mailed it. It could have unintended consequences of the worst kind.
That’s why the wastebasket becomes the second handy way to deal with our anger. We throw the letter away and let time and wisdom heal the matter. What usually happens under the guidance of our Higher Power is that we find a much more satisfactory way of settling whatever has happened.
If I become angry today, I’ll admit it to myself. Perhaps I’ll even put my feelings on paper. But I’ll have the good sense not to go further with such outbursts.
From the book:
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