Anger and You

“Anger is the punishment we give ourselves for someone else’s actions.”

I came across this line in an article, and the author went on to describe how drained they felt once the anger finally cooled down. I wondered how universal this experience is — and how few of us understand what’s actually happening inside us. It made me rethink my own relationship with anger.

Anger is a natural signal that something important feels threatened or disrespected. It rises fast, hits hard, and often leaves us exhausted. That’s because, for a moment, the older “reptile” part of the brain — our survival system — takes over. Clear thinking, empathy, and perspective momentarily step aside.

I once couldn’t handle my anger during my high school, and that kept us apart for a decade.

When anger is left to simmer, it turns inward — draining our energy, tightening the body, and often hurting us more than the original trigger.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.
If we can stay just a little aware in the heat of the moment, the emotion passes without doing further damage. Even a small shift in awareness can soften the entire moment. A few simple concepts like the following can be helpful:

• Pause and breathe. A slow breath interrupts the rush and gives the mind a few seconds to return online.

• Notice your patterns. Certain tones, expectations, or situations trigger us again and again. Awareness softens the impact.

• Reframe the story. A small shift in interpretation can lower the emotional temperature almost instantly.

Managing anger isn’t about suppressing feelings — it’s about protecting our energy, our clarity, and our relationships. It’s choosing where our attention goes instead of letting emotions steer the entire day.

Start small.
A single pause.
A single breath.

A single belief: I can choose my response.

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The Still Mind: Why We Need Meditation More Than Ever

 

Photo by Felipe Borges: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-meditating-on-rock-2597205/

My heart cries every other day when I read about young people collapsing in the gym, in the office, or taking their own lives — unable to cope with the pressure. That is when we see the need to wonder:

How do some people remain calm and composed?
How do they keep their focus when everything around them feels chaotic?
How do they manage to stay present while so many others sink into the past or drift toward the future?

We spend our waking hours juggling thoughts, deadlines, and notifications. Our minds run faster than our bodies ever could. Even in moments of rest, our thoughts rarely stop spinning — replaying the past or rehearsing the future. It’s no wonder so many of us feel restless, distracted, and unable to truly live in the moment.

There are many reasons for this modern unease, and some are more severe than others.
First, information overload — we consume more in a day than our ancestors did in a lifetime.
Second, constant comparison — social media convinces us that everyone else is happier, higher-achieving, more successful.
And third, seeking external validation — in a world obsessed with self-promotion, we look to others to tell us how great we are.

It’s not that we take this lightly — we try to cope. We go for walks, listen to music, scroll mindlessly, or read motivational quotes. These soothe us for a while, but they only distract the mind; they rarely reach the root cause.

What we truly crave is silence — not the absence of sound, but the quieting of the mind.

This is where meditation enters — neither an exotic ritual nor a passing trend, but an ancient practice of inner balance and mindfulness. For thousands of years, seekers and sages have turned inward to find clarity beyond words, stillness beyond thought, and peace beyond pleasure.

At its core, meditation is the practice of training the mind to become aware — of thoughts, emotions, and sensations — without being controlled by them. It’s not about escaping life, but engaging with it more consciously. It’s about recognising that thoughts and worries are like clouds drifting across the sky — observe them, and let them pass, without being swept away.

Over time, the practice helps us regain focus, reduce stress, build emotional resilience, and reconnect with our inner peace.

We may not be able to slow down the world around us, but we can learn to slow down within it. And that stillness — that sacred pause — is where real transformation begins.

In an age that glorifies speed and distraction, meditation reminds us to return to what is timeless — our breath, our awareness, our calm. In the next part, we’ll explore simple yet profound ways to begin this practice and experience the stillness within.