Letting Go Of Tension And Anger- The Body Scan

I almost never get angry.  It’s an emotion I rarely experience – except when I am driving.  I can feel the tension and anger building up when I see what I felt were unconsidered drivers.  You know the ones…the drivers who almost run you off the road to pass or the ones in the fast lane who are “Driving Miss Daisy” and no matter the traffic they refuse to get over to let you pass.

Then one day I came across this quote from Buddha

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else…you are the one who will get burned”

What insight when I’m angry I’m the one who suffers.  Why should I let someone I’m never going to see again control they way I feel.

Dr Wayne Dyer describes some common circumstances in which people select anger as the main emotions of the moment

• Anger is automobile.  While driving, we get upset at how we believe other people ought to be driving.
• Anger over loss of objects.  NO amount of anger will turn up a lost key or a wallet.
• Anger in competitive games.  In every sport, we find people getting upset at opponents, teammates, referees and even themselves.
• Anger at those things that seem out of place.  We have thoughts that things ought to be in certain places, and when they aren’t, we lose control. An example is the driver who believes the bicyclist should not be on the road and crowds him off the road.

As with all emotions, the feeling of anger comes from how we are thinking.  Anger is a reaction we have when expectancy is not met.  Anger happens when we wish some aspect of the world, or somebody in it were different than it it.

One of the best ways to discover how to recognize the tension in your body caused by anger is a simple 1-minute scanning exercise.

Find a place where you can sit or lay down comfortably  and be undisturbed for a moment or two.  Scan your body for any muscle tension.  Start with the top of your head and work your way down to your toes.  Ask yourself.

• Am I furrowing my brow?
• Am I clinching my jaw?
• Am I hunching my shoulders?
• Am I feeling tension in my arms?
• Am I feeling tightness in my though and calf muscles?
• Do I notice any discomfort anywhere else i my body?

With a little practice you can scan your body in less than a minute.

Try the body scan and let me know how it goes…