I am not sure I agree with this assessment. A tirade isn't the first response and it deserves attention and a degree of empathy, but it is unprofessional almost universally. You generally don't need to do it (it is not competitively advantageous to try) and does not make the tirader nor the tiraded feel better.
This is not to say a colleague should be a zen automaton that never feels discontent. However, learning not to get too upset when giving feedback, and similarly, giving feedback before you are that upset, are professional skills.
So when the author says they can feel better about the interaction, it might make more sense to read that as "yes, I did something wrong, but this was also quite a silly exchange and it sort of lifts the intensity off a bit". Which, considering the author is indicating that they're worried they said the wrong thing to begin with, would make sense (since they are attempting to empathise).
This is not to say a colleague should be a zen automaton that never feels discontent. However, learning not to get too upset when giving feedback, and similarly, giving feedback before you are that upset, are professional skills.
So when the author says they can feel better about the interaction, it might make more sense to read that as "yes, I did something wrong, but this was also quite a silly exchange and it sort of lifts the intensity off a bit". Which, considering the author is indicating that they're worried they said the wrong thing to begin with, would make sense (since they are attempting to empathise).