Many of us have been feeling anger more than usual because of COVID-19. Our environment right now is vastly different from what it was before pre-pandemic, and our new normal is full of rules and restrictions we need to abide by to keep ourselves and others safe.
While it’s understandable that many of us respond differently to change, you can’t help but feel irritated and frustrated towards people who are taking time to understand and follow these safety protocols.
According to Dr. Tine Roemersma, Ph.D., LCP, this anger that we feel during the pandemic is a lot like what we experience when we are expected to share roads and follow traffic rules to keep everyone safe. She believes that these “lessons learned from familiar experiences like road-rage can help us cope with unfamiliar experiences, such as anger during a global pandemic.”
Here are exercises to help us manage our anger and frustration better as advised by Dr. Tine Roemersma, Ph.D., LCP:
Understand that we need to share space
Accept that you have to share space with strangers on the road and in public places. This means that we will be in the same area as others who think differently and act differently. And if we see them behaving irresponsibly, it’s better to focus our attention on what we can do instead of letting our anger consume us.
Focus on reality
People won’t always share the same opinion as you, focus more on your reality than what is ideal. Be more concerned about what you think than what others might think.
Do not misdirect your anger
We have suffered so much loss during the pandemic. Feelings like grief, anger, sadness, or shame are normal to experience, but be careful not to direct our anger to others when we are put in an upsetting situation.