What does anger REALLY mean to you?
Is it an honest expression of your feelings that leaves you feeling empowered and more relaxed?
Or, is anger an emotion that must be repressed and hidden from everyone’s view at all costs?
The way you respond to these questions will determine the extent to which people will want to join with you in relationships (or not) and the kinds of health issues you may be dealing with on a regular basis (or not).
How you handle anger in positive ways is the subject of part 3 of my Seven A’s of Healing series based on Dr. Gabor Mate’s excellent book, When The Body Says No: Understanding The Disease Stress Connection.
Honest, healthy expressions of anger can be empowering in personal and professional relationships. You may be surprised to learn these expressions allow us to feel relaxed and even closer to our own truth too.
Unfortunately, the opposite is also true…
Over my long career, many clients have endured a litany of health problems and a lot of needless pain in the process due to their need to repress feelings of anger out of fear.
If fear isn’t entirely the problem, judgments — defined by the late Marshall Rosenberg as expressions of unmet needs that separate us from others — typically fill in the gaps.
The real challenge with anger: Expressing it while staying connected to our values and the world around us at all times.
This week’s video about the challenges people have with channeling their anger in positive ways is the longest in this seven-part series, but it’s a very critical one for your physical and mental health.
If you’re having problems with anger and you want to learn better ways to express it, I recommend reading Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg and Nonviolent Communication: The Basics As I Know and Use Them by Wayland Myers.
Love and chi,
Paul