Take:90

The second you get angry, anger is dangerous. Uncontrollable. Bad

news to be around. See, when you’re provoked, anger doesn’t think

things through. It just thinks rage and embarrassment and pain. Anger

is a result of your brain going rogue and firing off furious chemicals all

around the body. Aggressive little neurotransmitters calling for backup.

Next thing you know, your whole body’s on high alert, ready for a scrap,

and you’re only 10 seconds in. Your heart beats a war drum. Your lungs

load your blood with oxygen. Eyes dilate to take aim. Muscles tense,

eager to spring into action.

At 20 seconds, you’re definitely not in charge

anymore. Anger’s all over it, running the show. It’s got intelligence in a

headlock, pushing empathy away with the other arm. Goading you to

argue, curse, spit, run or fight.

At 30 seconds, you feel strong. You are

strong, because anger has handed you a weapon: adrenaline. You’re

armed with a superhuman ability to move faster and fight harder. You

have enough primal rage to take on a sabre-toothed tiger. Only, this

isn’t the Ice Age, it’s lunchtime. OK.

Here’s 45 seconds and your brain

is beginning to wish it hadn’t started this. It dispatches hormones to

handle the situation. The toxins fuelling fury are hunted down and

neutralised. At 60 seconds, anger begins to weaken. You start to think

rationally and be a bit more… you know... you.

70 seconds and you’re

coming out the other side, feeling more in control.

80 seconds and

anger skulks off, defeated, and you’re thinking, ‘What happened

there? That’s not me’. Hopefully, you haven’t said or done anything

you’ll regret, because now you feel better, calmer. And that thing that

seemed a huge deal a minute and half ago, well, it looks a lot smaller

now. What do you know? Time’s a healer after all, and a fast one at

that. So, the next time anger hammers at your door, take a moment.

90 seconds should do it. About as long as it takes to read this message.

That’s just enough time to put anger back in its place and you back in

charge.

It only takes 90 seconds for anger to pass.

For more information visit www.take90.co.uk