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Natural Anger
Anger is a natural emotion or feeling.
We feel anger whenever we are BLOCKED from getting something we want.
it reminds us that we have power to overcome obstacles,
and it gives us a measure of how important it is for us to get what we want.
HOW IT WORKS
Whenever we are blocked from something we want,
a part of our energy goes into feeling anger.
It can range from intense anger at being blocked from something
important (like life itself)
to minimal anger at small blocks over slight wants.
Anger has a natural duration.
In other words, we will get over it within a certain amount of time
if we admit to it and express it.
If we don't admit to it (if we deny that it's there), we
can feel "uncentered" or "crazy."
If we don't express it (if we keep it inside), it takes a much longer
time to get over it.
Anger feels bad when we first notice it,
it feels good as we express it (by saying we are angry, raising our voice,
etc.),
and it turns into guilt and depression if it's denied.
Anger feels good to express whether we are alone or with
others.
Expressing it with others is better only because
they may be able to help us make decisions about what to do with all that
energy.
Anger is really just raw energy.
After we have admitted to it and while we express it
we feel a major boost in our energy level.
We all have one particular set of physical sensations in
our body which indicate anger.
People feel anger in various ways and in various parts of their body.
The most common sensations are probably a tight feeling
in the upper torso,
a "hot flash" or rush of warmth in the face and upper body,
and jaw tightening.
Your sensation of anger may be one of these or it may be entirely different.
FEELING YOUR ANGER
It is vital to your emotional health to know how anger feels to you in your body.
So, right now, take a moment to remind yourself of the most intense anger you ever felt.
As you remember this day when you were
completely blocked from something you wanted very much,
ask yourself: "What do I feel in my body?"
(Once you recognize your own "anger place" in
your body,
you can stop thinking about that day in your life.
Notice that you are able to let go of that memory
almost as quickly as you were able to remember it.)
It is very important that you admit to yourself that you
are angry
whenever you feel this sensation in this part of your body!
As a matter of fact, you'll need to get better and better
at recognizing
even very slight sensations of anger, if you want to improve your
life.
It is possible to believe that you are angry when you aren't,
and to believe you are angry when you are really sad (most common),
or scared, or happy, or excited, or feeling guilty.
The "Split Second" It Started:
Real, necessary, natural anger starts as an immediate response to
some event.
Unreal, unnecessary, unnatural anger starts in our minds, with a thought
or fantasy.
If the anger was natural you will feel better as you admit
and express it.
If it was unnatural you might feel a bit better from the release of energy,
but not much.
If you don't get relief from your anger, it probably started
in your mind.
It is possible to simply stop unnatural anger (once you stop believing
it's real).
If you have trouble stopping it,
you are probably believing that you are angry
as part of some learned strategy for getting along in the world.
Some people call this manipulation, but that word implies
that it's done on purpose.
It's really a way of coping, subconsciously, with life's difficulties.
But feeling the pain of unnatural anger never works as a way of coping in the long run.
See "PROBLEMS WITH ANGER" (Another Article In This Series)
Please Tell Your Friends About This Site.
Enjoy Your Changes!
Everything here is designed to help you do just that!
Write To Me, I Want To Hear From You!
Tony Schirtzinger, Therapist (Milwaukee)
