Energy-Saving Tips for Dealing with Anger and Frustration

There's the one friend in your extensive network that irritates the permanent press out of your trousers. Dane Cook likes to call him or her, "The friend that nobody actually likes." Except this time around, you're the only one that finds fault with the person, and it's because at one time you were very close to them and found too many things that annoy you about them to stand being around them for more than thirty seconds. It's your partner that can't work five minutes with your constructive criticism without justifying himself. It's the guy went to your church and is still attached to you, but you've got your claws out and can't get far enough away. It's your boyfriend's ex-girlfriend who cheated on him and broke his heart, and now she disgusts you to look at. These sound familiar?

For the high stress American in today's society--no matter if you run a law firm, flip burgers at Mickey D's, or if you're still young and enjoying the benefits of your parents--little frustrations in others tend to eat away at our consciences and patience. Especially the people that you are--or in this case, were--close to and can't escape without severing other ties. No matter the angle you look at, too many things about them make your skin crawl and clash in an ugly way with your personality. Stress and daily life's frustrations only seem to make them look worse in your eyes.

So you decide to completely shut the person out of your life. Maybe you aren't brave enough to ignore them at every possible moment, but instead you make as much small talk as is polite, but as little to imbed the thought in their head that you have no room for them in your life. Or perhaps you can take it so far as to suddenly find the carpet fascinating when you pass them in a hallway, purposefully shut them out of your social network, and utterly ignore their existence. After all, they, however unknowingly, make your life unbearable because you struggle just to keep your tongue in check. So why not eradicate them from your life?