People, this is the Wood time of the year!

We might feel the need to be moving fast, wanting to set goals…oh, and blurting out anger or frustration without really feeling what’s going on deep inside. One of the things I want to share through my experience of sixteen years of doing Asian Bodywork and studying and practicing Chinese Medicine, is that underneath anger is always a more tender, vulnerable feeling. What I know from practicing Chinese Medicine is that the wood element is responsible for the smooth flow of emotions and chi. Anger is the attitude or feeling of imbalance for the Wood element. When someone gets angry with you or if you get angry with someone or a situation, check in with yourself and see what the deeper feeling is. 

I did this just the other day with a friend who had a plane ticket to visit.

When I was given a piece of information that revealed he wasn’t going to be able to visit due to a business situation, I reacted with anger. However, there was a deeper feeling and what I was really feeling was, “I am disappointed and sad that we aren’t going to be able to connect and spend some time together.”

Do you find that you do this sometimes with folks in your life?

Check in with yourself first before you express anger. Sometimes we numb our feelings and forget that someone is on the other side receiving the anger. Think about what you would do and how you would feel if someone expressed anger to you—probably run and hide, or feel taken aback. Unless you’ve done your work and are OK with anger and can really see beyond the surface of the anger, then you probably won’t take it personally.

Actually, I did express my honest feelings with my friend after getting in touch with them, and let’s just say that he was a bit more receptive 😉