ANGER

I find that I have a shorter fuse than normal. Edginess roils at my stomach. Anger leaks out. I swear more. I am more impatient. I don’t think I am alone. Much of what I read in the news, much of what is shared in the social media, is anger. Attacks and counter attacks. Accusations and blame. Conflict and confusion. Worry and stress.

And I am reminded that anger, whatever else one can say about it, is a response to threat. When we feel threatened, when we are confronted with the possibility of loss of what we value in life, our bodies react. Adrenaline is released into the body as energy. That energy is designed to give the body the capacity to protect itself. As animals, our frequent strategy for protecting ourselves is to fight (lash out), flee (run away) or freeze (zone out, numb down).

And I find myself doing each of these things at different times during any given day. In the grip of our COVID 19 crisis. one of the problems is that we don’t know what to do with that energy. The threat (enemy) is amorphous. It is lurking in so many unknown corners of our lives that we don’t know where to focus our resistance. And we then try to find somewhere to focus the energy. Thus, attack and accusation. Or flight and escape. Or numbing down.

Another problem is that, when we don’t know where to focus our angry energy, we sometimes focus it on those closest to us. Since we are isolated and living in small circles of contagion, we unintentionally release our anger on those we love the most. Tension can mount in these times because of our fear of the losses we are experiencing.

But, we can moderate our response to this threat. As human animals, we do have some capacity to choose. We don’t have to simply impulsively strike out at others, or hide emotionally or freeze others out. We can decide what to do what that energy and turn it into power for the living in these days.

I know some people use the energy to do yard work—work that needed doing but their lives have been so busy with work and kids that they couldn’t get around to it. Others have cleared out closets. Some have spent time walking and picking up litter. Physical activity is one way to express that energy.

Others may be less physical in their activity but just as focused with energy. They are making cards and sending them to others, making phone calls to isolated people, painting pictures, creating stories, feeding the food insecure. Some seek new ways to help and contribute to the good of others.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying, “don’t get angry.” As long as this virus threatens so much of what is important to us, our body will produce adrenaline to give us energy to find ways to protect ourselves. I am simply encouraging us to work to find some ways to use that energy to enrich our lives and the lives of others rather than allow it to roam among us, causing us to fight each other, to freeze each other out or to sink into constant numbing of our feelings.