One of my Instagram subscribers asked: “Anya, everyone around is talking about environmental friendliness. Tell me how to show aggression?” Let’s figure it out. Why is aggression needed at all? Aggression is a huge beam of energy that awakens inside us: when it is necessary to protect ourselves and our resources; when it is necessary to “take” additional resources from the surrounding world. In the animal world aggression works clearly and simply – just look at National Geographic. As you know, people are also animals, only very socialized ones. Although we consider ourselves “kings of nature,” this does not make us less aggressive. Thanks to living in a dense social environment, we have learned to express aggression passively. Relationships with our “brethren” are vital to us, so it is unwise to destroy them. Even if we don’t like something, we will prefer to suppress or repress dissatisfaction. Sarcasm, jokes, gossip are forms of passive aggression. They help you avoid direct confrontations and avoid getting hit too hard. Is passive aggression more environmentally friendly than direct aggression? At the initial stage, yes, but in the future it still leads to a clash. Therefore, I recommend not suppressing aggression, but putting outbursts of anger in a socially acceptable form. What does it mean? Instead of hitting the offender, you should tell him: “You know, Petya, you made me very angry. I’m on the edge now...You did something like that and violated my boundaries.” That is, instead of direct action, we describe our state. We acknowledge the situation and let the offender understand that he has entered someone else's territory or encroached on someone else's resources. We describe what exactly pissed us off and offer a solution. We assume that Petya is aware of his wrongdoing. But let's be frank - situations are different. Sometimes direct “animal” aggression comes in handy. For example, in a dark alley when meeting with criminal elements. Therefore, I recommend using aggression depending on the situation: if there is a knife to the throat, it is better to hit the offender harder in the sore spot and quickly run to a safe place. How do you deal with aggression? Do you know how to express or prefer to suppress?* Instagram is owned by Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia.