Anger

Anger has played a prominent role in my life. People often were quite anxious about my presence since they did not know whether I was in a hostile or calm - or when my mood might suddenly change.

Only after I started the process of forgiveness was I able to reign in the explosiveness I often displayed. Self-forgiveness was hard.

Articles like those that follow were helpful too:

What is Anger? | World of Psychology
Dealing With Anger | Psychology Today
A Powerful Two-Step Process to Get Rid of Unwanted Anger | Psychology Today

How do you deal with anger?

I handle anger by holding it in most of the time. I mostly just get by myself and try to breathe deeply. Once I have calmed down, I try to defined if my anger was warranted. If not I work on trying to go back and let the person know I was out of line. If I feel the anger is warranted, I work to find a solution, if I can't find one at the time I just try to let the anger go and work on clearing my mind of the troubled thoughts. Sometimes if I sleep on it the answer is clear to me when I wake up.

Hope continue to learn how to deal with your anger. It can be managed and cause less stress on you.

Good luck.

(Like gayleggg, if I feel the anger is warranted I try to find a solution )

In my past I dealt with my anger by either swallowing it or exploding. The explosions usually came when I couldn't hold it in anymore.

Since then I've learned how to express my anger appropriately. The first step, for me, is to decide if whatever happened is worth the energy it will take me to be angry. Anger takes a lot of energy and I don't have much energy to spare. If I decide it isn't worth it I let go of whatever happened. If I decide it is worth the energy I try to talk to the other person involved to work out a solution.

I am trying to come to terms with my vulnerability. When I feel vulnerable or threatened, my first emotion is anger. I don't act on it as often as I used to, as I couldn't live with myself for hurting others all the time. So, I turn it in, and get sick. So, I am trying to come to terms with my vulnerability, and the acceptance that life is not always safe. And so I must be like the tank that carries the mouse through the minefield.

Thank you for the articles.

Growing up, I was not permitted to express anger. I still have this tendency, but I am doing a bit better.

Thank you so much for this thread and links, glok.

Normally I don't express any anger, I turn it all inward, taking it out on myself through destructive actions (drugs and alcohol as a teen, SI and an ED as an adult).

I am awful at expressing anger, and really struggle with it. I am starting to understand that anger doesn't necessarily lead to violence or horrible stuff (which is what I witnessed in my childhood).

It is very difficult.

I was one in the past that turned my anger in on myself (drugs drink) Attitude was ....I'll show them! Then I found it did not affect them one way or the other, what I did to myself. Now days I look at it kinda like lizzardlady, I ask myself is it worth the energy and the answer is ---It is usually not worth raising my blood pressure over. I do practice being assertive rather than aggressive or repressive. Life is so much easier now.

For Princess, deep, totally debilitating Depression = anger turned inward.

Don't handle anger very well. Currently, it's swirling and building inside me...maybe it will come out as a tornado?

I do not deal with it...if you happen to be within close proximity to me when I snap, God help you... I have shut myself off from everyone cause I can't control it or my mouth...and being BP its like I can see myself being a complete ***, knowing its wrong, but can't shut up...sigh... I hate it...

I, when introduced to said feeling, try to hold it in and find methods to calm myself. However, when the situation gets over dramatic, I just rage quit.

How I deal with anger usually depends on the situation. I used to be able to retreat from the situation, take a breather and put on some music till it ebbs away. Since I can no longer do that, I just bottle it up and it the anger gets worse and worse.

When I'm very angry, I need to walk away from the situation.
I have a tendency of "exploding" and not thinking clearly when angry.