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Why We Should Let Go of Anger
Is holding on to anger a bad thing?
Anger itself is not necessarily a bad thing initially. Anger is an alarm system that warns us that we have been hurt and mistreated. The flashing lights alert us that damage has been done that we need to address. It is our robot, waving his hands saying, “Danger, Will Robinson!”
Holding on to resentment feels good. We may think that doing so will keep reminding us not to trust certain people and that an injustice has been done. Instead, hanging on to it can damage us both emotionally and physically and hurt the people around us. Our bodies want us to calm down and get over it in response, whatever “it” is.
Several reality show reruns I watched recently reminded me about a time in my 20s when I felt angry most of the time. Some followed families of a certain ethnicity (I will not identify it here). It did not take much for them to explode at each other. Some situations created long-term grudges such as:
- Daughters or sons who date people of different ethnicities
- Jealous men or women who crash weddings
- People who felt that they had been used or cheated
- Resentment against people of dubious backgrounds or who have been to jail
- Comparisons and rivalry
