Check your Rev Counter before it’s too late
In this blog we look at our emotional ‘Rev Counter’ and how it can help manage anger or help motivate us. Buckle up and let’s begin….
Imagine constantly driving the average car at 6500 revs. That’s going to be mentally exhausting and the average car can’t cope with this constant level of stress before wearing out. It only takes a little more pressure on the throttle and the car enters the ‘red line’ zone. Eventually the driver loses control or wears out the engine, which in real life means someone or something is going to be damaged. Ideally we want to keep our emotional revs as low as possible. Even without a rev counter a skilled driver can feel and hear the engine straining and knows when to take their foot off the throttle. It’s the same with anger – we need to constantly be aware of where our rev counter is sitting to ensure we don’t hit that red line.
Top Tips for managing our Emotional Rev Counter
1. Regularly check the ERC – try it now as you read this blog, and later when you are interacting with a person, out driving, or listening to the news.
2. Identify where your ERC sits. Is it ticking over at 1100 emotional revs per minute or close to the red line of rage?
3. Adopt ways to reduce those emotional revs. Focus on your breath, exercise, focus your attention on something else or find ways to find calm that works for you.
4. Remove yourself from the situation. If you can’t reduce the revs, just stop, don’t respond and get out (of the situation/room) and if it’s an argument with a friend or partner adopt the ‘fair fighting rules (see blog) and try and consider the issue from their perspective.
When we are anxious, feel threatened or unsafe we can enter a state of hyperarousal and our fight and flight only needs a slight nudge to be activated. So think about where your revs are and what situations increase them.
Just like a car won’t get going without some increase in throttle, some of us don’t want to reduce the revs but need to increase them. If you feel low, unmotivated or stagnant in your life, perhaps put your foot on the pedal and kick start your day. Whether it be anger management or motivation you’re after, checking in on your emotional rev counter can give you the wake up call you need. In the case of anger do so to stop the inevitable car crash, and for the unmotivated do so to stop the engine seizing up.
Happy driving - Team TPSWELLBING.COM
