Have you ever gotten so angry at a person that you wanted to send an angry letter to express your feelings? Did you feel conflicted about hitting 'send' on the email or as you sealed the envelope? Then this blog post is for you.
Restraint is the key word when you are angry with someone you love, someone who did you wrong, or someone you hope you NEVER see again.
And one very helpful exercise is the 3-part letter.
To write the 3-part letter, the first step is to let yourself go--completely un-edited. Let all the bile spill out of you onto the paper. Use all the profanity you want to. Really let this person have it. This is your chance to get all your anger out of you and down on paper (or into the ether of your computer.) Really enjoy this cleansing process, but don't do anything for 24 hours!
After a full day has gone by, your next step is to reread your angry letter and pull out just the facts. (Usually there are only 3 or 4 facts in the entire letter, so now your missive will be pretty short.) Again, wait 24 hours before moving on to the following step.
Next, take the 3-4 facts you have on paper and rewrite the letter from a place of compassion. (If this seems impossible, you will be surprised at how simple it is when you have waited the indicated amount of time!) Again, sit on it for 24 hours after you have written the gentle letter.
Last, have a friend or support person read the compassionate letter over and if they feel the note is ready to go, hit send or close the mailbox lid.
Best of all? You will feel good and clear in the communication. You may even be amazed at the response you get!
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