Recently I spoke with my counselor about how I overreact and get angry. We had a good conversation about my and getting angry and overreacting. I do not act this way often. Truly, maybe once a month or less at the least and every couple of weeks at most. Usually I am overreacting to my wife about something rather small and inconsequential. We talked about this for a little while and it mostly boils down to being aware of where I am at. I lose touch with reality for a few minutes and literally just explode from inside myself. The issue comes up, some thing that irritates me happens for, what seems like, the one trillionth time and I explode. Or maybe someone simply does something that I think is well outside the bounds of ordinary human actions and I way overreact. The simple solution is, I need to pay attention to myself.

Did someone just do something that bugged me?

Was my reaction to shove it down into some sort of perceivable “bottomless pit?”

Will this pit actually fill up with false beliefs about the other person I’m talking to?

Should I just say something right now while I am healthy and we can have a grown–up conversation about the whole thing and move on?

The answer to the fourth question, if you didn’t guess it, is, ‘yes.’ The answer to all the questions is, ‘yes.’ However, the fourth question is the right course of action for me.

How aware are you of where you are at in the moment? Are you paying attention enough to notice things that needed to be talked about before you end up in an unhealthy place? Are you saying something?

Peacefully,

–JT