Category: Life technologies
How to keep aggression on a short leash
Early, extremely unkind morning. I’m running late. A meeting with the neighbor’s retriever, same place, same time. For him, habitually joyful. For me, routinely neutral. I don’t understand how one can be so thrilled at the mere sight of a barely familiar lady (meaning me) and keep up that “factory setting” of a cheerful DJ 24/7.
I, for one, find no reason for joy. Anywhere. Just need to make it through till evening.
20:00 – I leave the office looking like a badly beaten dog. My blood pressure is spiking, my head is splitting, my anxiety is off the charts. All the symptoms of STRESS, as a psychotherapist would say—the one I’m not going to see. He wouldn’t be able to cut unreachable deadlines out of my life anyway.
21:00 – I’m home, where nobody is happy to see me. A meeting with a mountain of dirty dishes turns into the climax of a bad evening. The beaten dog bares its teeth. Like snapping off the chain, I scream until my ears ring at the one who lies carelessly on the couch. ACTIVE AGGRESSION.
I wash and wash my dishes. Because only I need them clean.
Outside, the neighbor’s retriever is returning from his evening walk. He looks into his owner’s face, wags his tail, and seems to smile. For now, the glowing phone screen wins the battle for attention. But the dog doesn’t seem to mind such “ignoring.” I wonder—does anything annoy him at all?
As for me—I’m in for INSOMNIA. I worry about work, simmer with passive anger toward my husband.
How to escape the Bermuda-triangle trap of “STRESS–AGGRESSION–INSOMNIA”?
The editorial team of The Global Technology has charted two routes to ease navigation through this black stripe of life.
“If you don’t have a dog…”
Song from the film The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!
Lyrics by Alexander Aronov
Fighting stress. We prescribe you an ancient remedy tested back in antiquity: the barrel of Diogenes. Isolate yourself from everything that prevents you from living peacefully. In your case, that would mean getting rid of the unloved job of racing to meet deadlines. True, we can’t guarantee that the next rung of your career ladder will be covered with a soft carpet runner. Changing the scenery while the main character remains the same does not alter the outcome of the play.
Fighting aggression. Judging by your story, the transformation from fluffy lapdog to raging shepherd takes place precisely within the four walls of the bedroom. The icy chill in your relationship drives you into a frenzy. A clear sign that the family glass is already half empty and the love potion is quickly evaporating. Relationship resuscitation could start by reviving your “demo version” from the pre-wedding era. The question is, how long will it last this time?
Fighting insomnia. If counting sheep brings no results, you can treat yourself to mint tea or another herbal sedative. As long as you believe in the healing powers of a herbal placebo.
Do you suspect that such a struggle, without some sort of know-how, will end in a knockout? The editorial team of The Global Technology shares your well-founded concerns and suggests a more labor-intensive but truly effective way to return to the state of a satisfied little Maltese.
“The more I get to know people, the more I like dogs”
Heinrich Heine
Three solutions in one. In one retriever. Childhood dreams of a puppy don’t always grow into an adult’s considered decision. Yet many of us never fully rule out the possibility of becoming a dog owner, especially when life veers into a solid black stripe. Let’s model the situation when Plan B grows into Plan A: a dog barks loudly in your home. Not a goldfish, but a golden retriever fulfilling your secret wish to live better. The technology of canine therapy (psychological rehabilitation with the help of dogs) steps in where everyday solutions seem utterly “toothless.”
Beating stress. Let’s return to our mythical barrel. Its presence in collective memory is thanks to creative interpreters of antiquity. Scholars believe that Diogenes of Sinope lived not in a barrel, but in a pithos—a clay vessel used by the Greeks for storing wine or as a doghouse. That fact, likely, inspired the philosopher-hermit to “move in.” Diogenes was a Cynic, from the Greek kynikos, meaning “dog-like.” The followers of this philosophy preached asceticism, simplicity, freedom from social conventions. By the way, the hermit proudly introduced himself as “Diogenes the Dog.” To be content with little, to stand up for oneself—there is much to learn from our four-legged brothers.
By choosing a golden retriever as your anti-stress coach, you’ll see the world from a new angle. Dogs literally have a wider field of vision. That’s not a metaphor but a physiological fact. Watching your pet, you’ll realize that before him you saw no farther than your own nose. Your focus will shift from deadlines to more important things: unexpected sounds, new smells, exciting encounters. Each day your circle of acquaintances will expand—for both your friendly retriever and yourself. The dog-loving community will compensate for the lack of enriching social interaction at work. Themed parties, group hikes, master classes—the “dog lifestyle” builds a comfortable cushion of psychological safety against the looming threat of loneliness.
A retriever is not a guard dog due to his innate kindness. But he’ll gladly guard you against anxiety attacks. His empathy and charisma have earned the retriever the reputation of the ideal listener. For an hour, if you meet him in a rehabilitation center. Or for life, if your first encounter turns into love at first sight.
It’s just like in a psychological relief session. You voice the problem (which already helps you make a conscious decision), the dog listens. He hears. The left hemisphere, responsible for meaning recognition, works in dogs much like in humans—sometimes even more attentively than in a two-legged interlocutor. A well-trained dog can understand about two hundred words. For comparison: Ellochka the Cannibal’s daily vocabulary consisted of just thirty.
Once you’ve spoken, the dog draws conclusions. He intervenes promptly. Before you get to retelling the worst news of the day, that familiar muzzle will be on your lap. Or under your arm. Depending on the depth of your distress. Your fingers sink into waves of golden silk-fur. That tactile contact quickly brings you back to your senses. To grateful joy. Or cozy calm. At the discretion of your four-legged therapist.
Beating aggression. Bottling up anger only multiplies it. Psychologists advise letting off “steam” in various ways. Screaming at the top of your lungs for no reason. Beating up a pillow-victim. Aggression may leave, but only for a while. Its place inside remains. The pillow-victim will not escape another attack.
Canine therapy doesn’t stop at temporary half-measures. It works differently—it extinguishes the source of your inner ignition. A retriever’s gaze literally neutralizes both the flare-up of anger and its root cause—human aggressiveness. Interaction with a dog triggers oxytocin, dubbed by scientists the “hormone of happiness” and “hugs.” A truly happy person is hard to provoke. In 2015, a group of Japanese scientists shared in Science their hypothesis of a positive oxytocin “loop,” bonding owner and dog into one emotional whole through eye contact. Experimental studies showed that the concentration of this hormone rises in both partners the longer the gaze and touch. The very same mechanism of emotional attachment operates between mother and infant.
Beating insomnia. A dog doesn’t steal your time—it fills it. With more useful things than nightly puzzle-solving inspired by unresolved work tasks. Interaction with a retriever provides both worthy intellectual and real physical exercise.
Dogs are highly intelligent and require training from the age of two months. You won’t be bored. All retrievers are smart. Each in their own way. Prepare to discover new facets of intelligence.
Daily, almost athletic walks with a cheerful companion are that very non-prescription sleeping pill kept secret by sleep doctors. The stress hormone cortisol openly dislikes regular physical activity. Peace—and nothing but peace—you will bring back from your evening walk into your bedroom. Your pillow will finally serve its intended purpose: for sweet dreams.
A pile of dishes? Excellent! I love conquering peaks. Why did I used to snap all the time? Because the retriever belonged to the neighbor, not to me. Now I’m different, and everything is different. I keep my tail up and my aggression on a short leash.
While living organisms undergo translocation, deletion, and duplication, we offer scientific knowledge without mutations – only useful discoveries and theories.
Thank you!
