In Anger Education

Pria Sykes
In Anger Education, I actually learned a lot about myself that I wasn’t expecting. I learn that are many things that trigger or set off my anger, however that being angry isn’t the bad thing, it’s what I choose to do with it. I learned that an immense anger trigger of mine are situations where I feel disrespected by people that I care about. I learned the real emotion behind my feeling of being disrespected is actually my feelings being hurt and instead of expressing those feelings in a rationale way, I irrationally respond with anger and rage. There are many strategies I learned in class to help me cope with my anger. One strategy I found very useful is to make sure I simply think before I speak. In the heat of the moment I tend to only speak negatively instead speaking my real emotions, which lead to negative outcomes. Moreover if I begin to actually collect my thoughts before I say things I regret which allow others in the situation to do the same which will hopefully lead to resolution. Another response I learned in anger education that will help me avoid losing control of my anger is that I must take responsibility for my own emotions. In other words instead of blaming the other person’s actions or words for the cause of my anger that its actually my fault for letting it make me angry making it my problem and not theirs. If I was placed in the same situation there are many different assertive strategies or conflict resolution skills I could have used to ensure a different outcome that would have avoided a troublesome situation. One assertive strategy I should have used in place of my actions was once I was calm and collected was the better time to express my anger and not in the heat of the moment. As soon as I was thinking clearly I should have expressed my frustration in an assertive and non-confrontational way. When stating my concerns I should have stated them clearly and directly without the use of “you statements” which are used to hurt and control others in the situation. With using this strategy I could have easily diffused the whole situation and maybe got to a resolution faster without the negative outcome.
The true life episode “I need anger management” was very beneficial to me in the class in showing how your anger can go way too far and can affect your work and personal life very negatively if you never gain control. If I could give any advice to any of those young adults I would chose Anna. I would tell her that her temper tantrums are not the people she feels disrespect from fault and that she is responsible for her own emotions. I would also tell her that the negative actions that feel good to do in the heat of the moment, is not worth the negative consequences that come with those actions.