Anger management

Q Maybe it's a sign of the times, but I am angrier than I have ever been before. My fuse is so short sometimes I think I look for reasons to freak out. A stranger recently told me to "cool it, don't do this in front of your kids, man." After I let him have it, I felt better. Unfortunately, now the kids are picking up my habits and yelling at other drivers in our car and clerks at the grocery store. How do I stop the ranting?

Being angry and staying angry is a choice you make. No one person can make you angry. Someone can make you a daiquiri. Someone can make you dinner. No one can make you mad. And that part about letting someone have it? Well no one really wants you to give it to them. People like being given a piece of pie. Some prefer cake. But no one really wants you to give them a piece of your mind, which is what I am assuming you mean by "letting them have it." And on top of this, these behaviors are beginning to rub off onto your offspring. It's time you looked into what's causing you to be so angry.

I agree times are tough. We could all benefit from some destressors. Put things into perspective. We cannot prevent everything from occurring but we can change the meaning we attribute to the event or circumstance, and we can change how we respond to or deal with what comes our way. Day-to-day hassles: commuting, misplacing keys, mechanical breakdowns; all manageable.

Don't waste your energy on being angry. If you don't start diverting some of that energy you are going to end up with health issues; high blood pressure; heart attack; even stroke.

Use laughter to diffuse difficult situations. Don’t look at your drive to work as being stressful. It's comedy material!