Sometimes someone’s anger is really just stress from other parts of their life

Sometimes the source of someone’s anger is not actually you, but the result of the stress they are going through at home, work or somewhere else.

The other day, a friend of mine, got angry at me for something I thought was relatively small.

I remember, not even getting mad at him or reacting, because it was out of character for him to get this emotional, especially over something that I didn’t think was that big of a deal.

Instead of reacting to his anger with more anger, I asked, “Are you good?”

He then went on to break down a little and say, “I apologize. I’ve had a rough day with some family stuff going on and work stress. I’m sorry for losing it.”

Certain times, people need releases.

In this situation, many people would’ve just reacted to what was presented to them and felt their friend was angry at them.

Sometimes though, we have to take a step back, especially if it’s out of character for the person to react this way and realize the anger isn’t really directed at you and instead is the result of the broader circumstances going on in a person’s life.