I often find myself getting irritable with other people’s behaviour. This happens almost automatically in traffic, particularly on busy mornings. I don’t see myself as a road-rager, but I can get very impatient with unintelligent drivers. The same happens in meetings where a single stubborn person could drag out discussions, standing in the way of crisp and often easy decisions. Any person wasting anybody’s time turns my dial to IRRITABLE. And as we all know, irritability can turn a perfect day into an ongoing stressful challenge.
There is a cure for this, I recently read. Wake up in the mornings and ask yourself: Who can I love today? Think of a friend, a family member or someone you saw on the street the day before. Intentionally decide to send this person your kind and loving thoughts today. I tried this therapy a few days ago. To my amazement, it had an immediate effect. During my early morning routine, my thoughts were so absorbed with identifying people in need of love that I had no time to become irritable. Not even when a taxi driver cut in front of me without any sign or signal.
I remembered a friend whose husband died a year ago from my immediate circle. She needs a follow-up call to know that she is not alone. I decided to phone her immediately – before I forgot. My Bluetooth connection made phoning easy. At the traffic light that was mostly out of order, I greeted the friendly vendor and wished him a happy day. Wherever I stood in a shop or bank queue, I looked around and picked someone with a troubled expression. In my mind, I said a prayer of love for this person, and when I caught their eyes, I passed on a smile.
What amazed me most was this exercise’s effect on my own energy levels. Loving people left me with no time to judge them. Love is really a magic tool, I discovered…
