Anger

Have you experienced being cut off from your feelings and living in your head?  It’s a dangerous place to be.  Anger can be the deeper emotion behind other subtle emotions that are coming up that you may not have been able to communicate or express. 

Anger, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing.  It’s a normal emotion in response to when we feel we have been wronged.  That’s bound to happen at one point or another in our lives with our without intent.  Mindfulness is your key to breaking the negative anger habits and resolving the issues that caused the anger in the first place. 

Anger can come out as rage which negatively affects not only ourselves, but everyone around us.  When anger is suppressed, it can turn into self-sabotaging behaviors such as addictions, bad habits, illness, and even passive-aggressive tendencies. On the opposite end of the spectrum, when we don’t allow ourselves to feel anger, the cost is loss of self-respect and self-esteem.  More often than not, we might just let others walk all over us rather than be truthful about how we are feeling.  We don’t warn them they’re crossing our boundaries or acting in a manner in which we don’t appreciate. 

Sometimes, at the root of the anger, is the inability to be honest with both ourselves and the person we are having issues with. When you’re the product of an unsafe emotional environment growing up, it’s tough to be vulnerable enough to express any feelings, let alone anger.  Using mindfulness, we can assess the situation, assess the intentions, and release the anger in productive ways.  I’m sure you’ve been in a situation where you were quick to anger despite not having all the facts and making assumptions based on past experiences.  Once anger is moved out, you now have space within your mind, body, and spirit to fill up with gratitude and forgiveness.