Are you a boiling frog?

: Image via Wikipedia

It has been said that if you put a frog into a boiling
pot of water that he will immediately jump out. Smart frog! But if
you put him into a regular pot of water and slowly heat it up to
boiling he will never get out. Not so smart! This story has a lot of
implications for dealing with anger. We can let frustrations and
irritations build up over time until they are boiling around us
emotionally and behaviorally. If we fail to deal with problems when
they first start heating up, at some point we will no longer have any
control over them. It is easy to go through life denying issues that
bother us. Maybe the timing is not right to jump out of the pot or
maybe the issues are “just life” and have to be weathered.
What if the water keeps getting hotter? There really are only two
choices. Stay in or get out…

Family Anger Action Plan: Write down a list of the “issues” in your life
that are heating up and warning you of a need to change. Remember
that change isn’t justing about leaving a job or a relationship. It
is easier to make changes in life when the problems are small. It is
much harder to improve them when they are boiling over! Circle the
one issue that is the hottest problem in your life today. Next, write
down as many ideas that you can use to improve or jump out of
problems way. Can you change your thinking, attitude, situation, or
something else? What does “jumping out of the pot” mean to you for
this number one issue? What consequences, positive and negative
will “jumping out” mean for your life. Consult with a trusted friend
or qualified professional to help you make sense of your life before
you become a boiling frog.