We all have our own unique pack of character traits, and within each pack comes the parts that we love and the parts that we hate. Over time we evolve and grow, adapt and change naturally. As we get older we begin to recognize ourselves and how we react to situations. If we’re lucky enough, we embrace the elements that we love and try to take advantage of them to the best of our ability. But usually, when we begin to recognize the traits that we don’t like, we want to change them.
A lot of effort is placed on trying to change, but change is hard, and more often than not it sets us up for disappointment. An angry person will never be able to completely get rid of that part of themselves. Someone who is naturally anxious can try as hard as they want, but they can never get rid of the anxiety. It can be extremely frustrating when you try and change something and it just isn’t working. A far healthier approach is to embrace that part of you and acknowledge it. The more you stifle it away the stronger it’ll want to burst out. By acknowledging that it’s there, you’re staying in control of the emotion and not letting the emotion control you – this is the key. A person who is quick to get angry, needs to acknowledge the anger, and give it the attention it deserves, because it is a part of you, but take a breath, address it, and say “now’s not the time, maybe later”.
If you’re prone to get anxious easily, the next time you feel your chest getting tighter, take a deep breath and say hello to your anxiety. You have now given it the attention it’s craving, but you are also aware of it. Now you should be able to realize that you’re not feeling this way, it’s the anxiety that’s talking and making you feel that way. But by acknowledging it, you’re taking back control.