Controlling Anger

Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy human emotion; however, the problem comes when it gets out of control and turns destructive and causes more harm than good. When I was a little girl my Nana used to say "Count to 10." Now, keep in mind that I am Irish with that little Irish temper of mine that has reared its ugly head and caused me to lose patience with people on more than one occasion. 

Through the years when I feel anger rising up inside me, I make a real conscious effort to remain silent until a later time when I feel more rational about a situation. Often times I just walk away. This is not easy to do but it will save you a lot of stress and heartache in the end. Don't let bitterness cause your anger. So many rush to social media to vent their opinions and it is far too easy to "hit reply to all" or "send." (I did that once and it did not serve me well at all) After that time, instead of social media, I journal my anger as I write down my thoughts and feelings for myself. Many times when I look back at my own anger it was brought on by something I was dealing with and not related to the situation at all. 

On the other hand, it is not healthy to hold your anger as it can lead to health problems down the road. Find a constructive way to talk about a problem. Learn to fight fair without blaming, threatening, or calling names. Don't use words like "never" as never can be a very long time. Try not to issue ultimatums. Something my sweet husband taught me was to try to use "I" rather than you. For example, I feel this when "X" happens rather than attacking with a "You" statement. For example you always "XXX." Anger can be a healthy emotion if you learn to control it rather than it controlling you but never trust your tongue when your heart is hurting and bitter. 

Heartfelt Blessings to all today.