Anger Management in Relationships

Anger is a dangerous emotion. In so many relationships, what begins as a simple misunderstanding or a few careless words can quickly evolve into World War III. And while it's true that exercising self-discipline under pressure is much easier in theory than it is in practice, reminding ourselves of a couple of choice truths at crucial moments may help prevent fights from spiraling out of control...

Everyone has the right to feel upset.

We're responsible for our actions, of course, but a feeling can strike out of nowhere. Bearing in mind that we all have the right to feel however we're feeling can foster the patience and tolerance necessary for resolving conflict.

We're on the same team.

This is a phrase I've used often during arguments with loved ones. It's so easy to feel alone when anger takes over, but it's very likely that whatever the difficulty is, it's best conquered together. Singling one another out as “the bad guy” typically hurts much more than it helps.

Of course, there are always exceptions, and no two couples (or arguments) are exactly the same. I think perhaps the first and most important step in resolving a fight is to take a step back and examine the anger objectively. A little self-awareness goes a long way.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org.