{"id":758,"date":"2013-08-02T10:10:39","date_gmt":"2013-08-02T10:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=758"},"modified":"2013-07-25T23:37:08","modified_gmt":"2013-07-25T23:37:08","slug":"tempering-temper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/08\/tempering-temper.html","title":{"rendered":"Tempering Temper"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maureen<\/a>When we’re angry, do we automatically feel we’re justified simply because we feel the anger? Or, could there be other reasons about which we might\u00a0have some control?<\/p>\n

As summer heat matures, pressing down more harshly on certain parts of the country, I’m reminded of a theory I learned about in a\u00a0French history class: Many of the major uprisings (the French Revolution, for example) began in the heat of the summer.\u00a0 Hot weather, then, as the theory goes, can have an instigating effect on flares of temper and, often, violence. Beyond climate, I’m sure that it’s no accident that certain expressions correlate heat with anger: “hot under the collar,” for example; or “boiling mad.”<\/p>\n

Pain has a way of stirring up anger, too. If you bump your leg, for example, a natural reaction is to yell or, at least, exclaim with more volume than a whisper. Chronic pain, endured over a long period of time, can also amplify anger.<\/p>\n

When irritation, dissatisfaction, disappointment, or other feelings that can lead to overt anger are exacerbated by physical discomfort, pain, or harshness, sometimes our feelings can boil over and we can hurt ourselves or others even if we truly do not want to do so.\u00a0 Tempering the “heat of the moment” with a breath, a moment, a “cooling off” period, then, becomes vital. But how?<\/p>\n

I’m not perfect when it comes to corraling my rare-but-still-there temper.\u00a0 But I do try to keep situations in perspective, making use of\u00a0 “count-to-ten”\u00a0 to temper the temper. Prayer can cut through anger made sharper by circumstances (extreme heat, greater-than-usual pain) – “Help me, Lord, get through this.” Distancing myself from the situation also helps tremendously – if I’m particularly uncomfortable, I will try to get too a place where I am more comfortable, thus taking away the thing that’s exacerbating rising temper. Thinking of the other person as a brother or sister in Christ has a way of ratcheting down tension.<\/p>\n

We’re human. The weather can get hot. And if we live with chronic pain or illness, we are bound at one time or another to get “out of sorts.” But hopefully, an awareness of how our surroundings influence our feelings can help us to\u00a0stop an eruption of\u00a0angry words and actions.<\/p>\n

Tempering temper – and making the world better for it – especially on hot days is, in the end, really, really cool!<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we’re angry, do we automatically feel we’re justified simply because we feel the anger? Or, could there be other reasons about which we might\u00a0have some control? 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. 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