Dealing with anger is an important part of recovery.  Since anger is associated with most, if not all, mental health disorders, how we deal with it can effect our treatment plan.

We need to understand anger issues, this is the example in today’s Mental Health Humor Psychology Cartoons.  NOT all angry people are “obviously” mad and angry all the time!  We my fall into the category of Mild or Serious Anger Issues; where we may struggle not to lose our temper daily, but can go from cold to hot tempered in a flash!

Our recovery depends on how we treat others and how others treat us.  Jane López De Victoria, M.S. The Gift of Anger recently posted about two things anger can reveal:

“Anger will reveal two things. First, it lets us know when we haven’t liked something. It shows us our limits; it tells us when our boundaries have been crossed or violated. Rage can bring awareness of unresolved tragedies of the heart. These traumas reveal where one is stuck in personal growth, unable to move ahead with clarity. Anger can also divulge the true passion of our heart.”

If we are short-tempered, then we could lose the progress we’ve made with one outburst.   This is where Anger Control Techniques become essential to our success.  The over-all solution to controlling anger is not solved with one line of thinking or techniques. So here are a few by Jane Collingwood’s blog  Dealing with Anger Constructively :

• Try not to avoid confrontation. Many people, particularly women, aren’t comfortable feeling anger or experiencing it in others.

• Avoid assigning blame. No one likes to be in the wrong, but immediately defending your position by attacking the other person will just put them on the defensive.

• Stay cool. Although having a big rant is tempting, there are better ways to get your point across. Your tone of voice is crucial. Let it express the fact that you care for the other person and let it allow for them to express their warm feelings toward you.

• Be professional. If it’s not a friend, family member or romantic partner, but a work colleague that you’re confronting, take a few deep breaths and step back for a moment, if you can.

• Be ready to make a compromise. Aim to think flexibly during confrontations. Have a resolution in mind, but stay open to compromises based on the other person’s opinions.

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    Last reviewed: 15 Nov 2011