Turning Anger into Purpose After a Layoff

(gentle music) (mouse clicking) Headspace Studios. (soft music) (birds chirping) Hi, it's Dora, and welcome to "Radio Headspace." Thanks for joining me today. So the other day, my niece was drawing with crayons and suddenly burst into tears when her favorite color broke in half. Through her tiny sob, she shouted, "It's ruined!" I sat beside and asked her if I could help. After a few minutes and a few deep breaths from me, we decided she could use both halves of the crayon and it was like nothing had happened. It reminded me that anger, even in its most innocent form, shows up when something we care about feels broken or out of reach. Now, anger is often misunderstood as being purely destructive, but it can be one of our greatest teachers. After job loss, anger may arise when we feel blindsided, disrespected or devalued. It might even show up as rage towards a decision-maker or simmer as resentment over unmet expectations. But it's not inherently bad if we take the time to understand it. As author Brene Brown wisely shares, "Anger is a catalyst." It reveals to us what matters. It brings clarity, and when held with mindfulness, it can spark transformation rather than destruction. There's a story I love from the Buddhist tradition that illustrates this perfectly. One day after many days of travel, the Buddha arrived at a small town to give a talk. Everyone was happy to see him except for one young man. As the Buddha began to speak, this man stood up and started shouting at him. He called him names, accused him of being a fraud, and tried to humiliate him in front of the crowd. But the Buddha stayed calm. He didn't react or raise his voice. Instead, he asked the man a simple question. "If you buy a gift for someone and they don't accept it, to whom does the gift belong?" The man paused, confused. "Well, it would still belong to me." The Buddha nodded. "Exactly, it's the same with your anger. If I choose not to accept it, it stays with you. And all you've done is harm yourself." The crowd fell silent. The young man moved by the Buddha's words, slowly bowed in humility. And I think about this story often, especially when I notice anger bubbling up in me. For example, let's say you suddenly lost your job. You might find yourself directing that anger outward toward leadership, coworkers or a system that has failed you. Or you might turn it inward, blaming yourself, replaying what you could have done differently. But anger, like the gift in the Buddha's story, doesn't have to be passed on. We can sit with it, understand it, learn from it. Because often, that heat is trying to show us where we feel violated, disrespected or unseen. And from there, we can choose how to respond. So if you're feeling angry after a major life disruption, like the loss of a job, know...