all of a sudden, short-tempered

Hi Apexus,

Anger is a useful emotion at the right time in the right place, to protect ourselves from danger, and to motivate us into action, but as you've found inappropriate anger can be scary for you and those around you. When angry the thinking part of the brain shuts off and the emotions take over.

Besides which anger is also bad for your health, putting a strain on the heart and weakening the immune system.

Learning to feel more relaxed and a little detached from the situations that frustrate you can really help you to control your emotions, rather than them controlling you. Some people find that it helps to imagine yourself drifting up and out of a frustrating situation, so that you can see yourself in it.

Allowing yourself time to rest and relax a couple of times a day is important and regular exercise helps too.

You might like to have a look at the 7 Basic Human Needs - all of these are important to good emotional healt.

The Secrets of Heaven and Hell
The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep meditation he sat.

Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. "Old man! Teach me about heaven and hell!"

At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second.

"You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?" replied the monk at last. "You who are so unkempt. You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell?"

The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high over his head. His face turned to crimson, and the veins of his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from its shoulders.

"That is hell," said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent.

In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.

"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."

(From A Third Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. Published by Health Communications, Deerfield Beach, Florida. To order, call 1-800-441-5569)