Anger, when channeled into the
pursuit of change, can be a useful tool in our emotional palette. Anger
is experienced by most people, some more than others. It is when anger
has no outlet and morphs into resentment that it carries with it the
potential to cause great turmoil. Allowing us to assign blame for the
pain we are feeling, thereby easing it, resentment tends to smolder
relentlessly just below the surface of our awareness, eroding our peace
of mind. The target of our resentment grows ever more wicked in our
minds and we rue the day we first encountered them. But resentment is
merely another hue on the emotional palette and therefore within the
realm of our conscious control. We can choose to let go of our
resentment and to move on with our lives, no matter how painful the
event that incited it.
Hanging onto resentment in our hearts does not serve us in any way.
Successfully divesting ourselves of resentful feelings can be difficult,
however, because doing so forces us to mentally and emotionally
confront the original source of anger. When we cease assigning blame, we
realize that our need to hold someone or something responsible for our
feelings has harmed us. We thought we were coping with our hurt when in
fact we were holding onto that hurt with a vice grip. To release
resentment, we must shift our attention from those we resent back toward
ourselves by thinking of our own needs. Performing a short ceremony can
help you quell resentful feelings by giving tangible form to your
emotions. You may want to write down your feelings and then burn the
paper and close your ceremony by wishing them well. When you can find
compassion in your heart, you know you are on your way to healing.
Free of resentment, we have much more energy and attention to devote to
our personal development. We can fill the spaces it left behind with
unconditional acceptance and joy. And, as a result of our subsequent
freedom from resentment, blessings can once again enter our lives as the
walls we built to contain our anger have been demolished.(Daily OM)