TIPS
FOR HANDLING ANGER
by
Dr.
Susan Saxe-Clifford
1. Anger is a common emotion.
2. Anger
needs to be expressed for healthy adjustment.
Understanding
Your Experience Of Anger
1. Were you socialized to believe that anger is wrong?
2. Did
you know that anger is associated with anxiety?
3. At
times anger is used to control and intimidate others.
4. Fear
of anger is normal.
a)
Fear
of your own anger.
b)
Fear
of the anger of others.
5. Anger
is a normal reaction to certain stimuli.
6. Do
you believe that you are unable to control anger?
7. There
are physiological responses with anger (survival emotion).
8. Pretending
that you don’t get angry can make you sick.
9. Blocked
and unexpressed anger does not go away.
10. When
not expressed assertively and appropriately, anger tends to pop up at
inappropriate times and
in destructive ways, such as resentment and hostility.
Barriers
To Expressing Anger
1. Fear of disapproval.
2. Fear
of the power of your anger.
3. Denial
of the fact of your anger.
Excuses that you are only:
a)
Stressed
out.
b)
Tired.
c)
Sick.
4.
Allowing
others to deny your right to be angry.
5. Avoidance
of all feelings.
a)
Out
of touch with emotional experience.
b)
Not
aware of what it feels like to be angry.
c)
Never
feeling sad or happy.
Avoid
Inappropriate Expression Of Anger:
Violence And Rage
1. Take responsibility for your emotional experience.
2. Acknowledge
that inappropriate expression of anger is not acceptable.
3. Learn
anger management.
4. Identify
how your behavior has affected and harmed others.
Penalties
For Not Expressing Anger
1. Depression -- experienced as feeling incompetent.
2.
Anxiety
-- often experienced with fear.
[Susan Saxe-Clifford, Ph.D. APC]. All rights reserved.