Happy June.
The following is some advice to myself that I thought others here might find useful.
Surrender and stop trying to control things you cannot change. Some of these things may be extremely painful. You can choose to face them in constructive ways, or, if ultimately the issue is a toxic and irremediable force in your life, to cut ties, and move on. This isn't an easy choice to make, but ultimately, deep down inside, you know which battles are worth fighting, and who is worth fighting for. And, who is worth saying goodbye to.
It seems that the ones that we feel hurt most by are our loved ones. When stress compounds, especially if somebody already has existing emotional wounds from the past, or anger problems, it can be extremely challenging not to be "triggered" when they act out. Why? Because it really hurts, and feels like you are being blamed when ultimately it is their own wound from the past that is speaking out and projecting. One projection triggers another projection which snowballs into a giant mess.
Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes and say hurtful things at times. We have to make the choice to communicate. No feeling is invalid. What is invalid is justifying hurting others because of our own emotional wounds.
The state is already trying to tear us all apart, and pit us against one another. Though it be challenging, I wish you all peace in your relationships this week, and wish to say, before you get triggered and lose your cool, acknowledge your feelings of anger, hurt, and sadness. Acknowledge the pain the other is feeling which is prompting them to act out, acknowledge that this acting out is also triggering you to act out, and then proceed in compassion and love. Not only for the other party, but also for yourself.
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~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)