Anger

Anger is a normal emotion that serves a function, so to experience it on occasion is to be expected.  It can let us know something is not right or even motivate us.  Some of us feel guilty when we feel anger.  Experiencing anger is not something you should feel bad about.  If something is “wrong” with the emotion of anger, it lies more in what we do with our anger, how we respond to it.  Another thing to consider is what is making us become angry and how often we are becoming angry.  These two things should be considered also. 

In her book, “Working with Anger”, author Thubten Chodron compares anger to a poison that slowly damages our body.  Would you allow poison to stay in your system if you knew it was there?  Anger is damaging to not only yourself, but everyone around you: spouse, partner, children, employees, employer, friends, the list goes on. 

Not only do I work with anger management, but I also strive to help my clients learn to eliminate anger……well…..maybe not eliminate it, but minimize how much and often they experience it.  We do this by learning about what makes us angry, what is it about that which leads to anger, realizing how we are thinking about things, and learning coping mechanisms to utilize when we do become angry.