The temp
s are going up. Something else that goes up this time of year is our TEMPER. During the hot days of summer, there is an increase in our negative response to things. In that thing called rage. Really, not something that you should carry with you before going out on the road.
Things happen to us every day that we can either laugh at , not respond at all, or explode, like this guy.
How you see life impacts how you respond to things. Stressed about work? Short on funds? Not getting along with your wife? Any or all of those combined can cause you to EXPLODE on the first person that crosses your path. Even for the most trivial things.
Looking For Rage
Road Trip
As an exercise, knowing i was going to write on anger/rage and generally losing it, i set out on a a ride . I had known what my where I was headed but didnt know how long it woudl take. I was LOOKING for something to be angry about. The funny thing is, because i set out to find anger, i stayed calm. Stuck in slow traffic, car pulling out in front of me, bug flying into my helmet. Nothing phased me. I was out on the open road, all alone, and had nothing but joy. I couldn’t get angry. Not that i had to calm myself down about this or that, i just didn’t get there in the first place. After an hour an a half, i arrived at this small town, close to a small lake. People were coming and going, pulling boats, RVs, and campers. People were all living life.
I sat and took a break just long enough to sip on some tea and have a snack. Jumped back on and headed down a different road to go home. Almost 3 hours of total seat time on a 40 year old motorcycle, fingers starting to tingle, and back starting to ache. Surely i was going to be angry getting back into the hustle and chaos of the Sunday afternoon suburbs going from stop light to stop light and past road construction and teenage drivers. Nope. Nothing mattered. I was content and self aware. Sure my body was a bit worn from being out all afternoon, but I arrived home with a smile.
Control Your Inner Jax
We get so busy with the little things going on around us that we cant control. Rage will only show up if you let it.
Here are 3 things you can do to decrease your temper this summer:
- Start your day by thinking about your life. The good and the bad. Thinking about your metal state will increase your self awareness. By doing this, you decrease the negative impact that unplanned events will have on you.
- Change your scenery. Get away from whatever is PISSING YOU OFF. Within a few minutes of this change, your body will report back that the distress must be over. You will calm down.
- Slow and Steady. Breathe. Sit up straight. Breathe. Give yourself a countdown (10, 9, 8, ..).
These are just a few little things you can do to cool your jets. To keep that inner Jax at bay. As much as we love the SOA, Jax doesn’t have that long of a life… If you dont control your temper, neither will you.
Ride safe, ride more, ride happy.