Intense anger and frustration can lead to unchecked resentment. It's like an ugly monster that we feed and feed until it gets so big and causes disruption in our interpersonal lives. The interesting thing is the person we are holding resentment towards is often not even aware of the magnitude of our anger. Simply put, the only person suffering is YOU!
Here are 3 tips for reducing resentment as you work towards relieving yourself of intense emotions that are essentially weighing you down! 1. Gratitude If we only focus on the WRONG we never see the right. Shift your focus. There is no perfect person or situation. Ask yourself “What am I truly thankful for right now” Write out all the things you can appreciate about a person or a situation in detail. Make a conscious effort to remind yourself of these things. 2. Grace Have some MERCY! We are not perfect people. We need to extend grace to ourselves for having resentment and to the person on the other end. Apart from abusive situations we need to dig deep and move beyond ourselves to see things from a different perspective. We can’t expect ourselves from others and being overly critical or angry does not solicit change. 3. Self-Awareness As you think so you feel. Resent grows because we consistently think and put focus on the very thing we are angry at. We subconsciously view every interaction from that lens which further “validates” our angry feelings. Having awareness of your thoughts can help reduce this. Can you simply choose to “think of something else” or not allow yourself to place so much weight on your thoughts? Being able to slow down and practice self-awareness can change moods, minds, and hearts! These 3 steps will get you going in the right direction; however, applying this with a licensed clinician based on your situation will get you where you need to be! Call us today at TCS where we specialize in providing tools, support, and guidance to help you navigate through life difficulties!