JumpStart Mickey and Minnie Mouse's Birthdays (11/18/24)

QUOTE:  "Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath."  (Eckhardt Tolle)

MESSAGE:  Anger is a huge emotion that no one really talks about.

Here are some thoughts as I go through the research on anger:

• Anger is a normal emotions felt in defense of boundaries being broken.
  
• Anger is part of a continuum of emotions:  annoyed > upset > angry > enraged
  
• Rage is when physical violence comes in, whether throwing things or verbal escalation.
  
• Anger can be productive in engendering change.  It’s a physical response in our body telling us that something needs to change.
  
• Anger is often triggered by something painful in our past that is closely connected to our identity.
  
• Society has different norms for anger.  It’s acceptable for men to express anger, but not women, so when women are angry, they are more likely to cry, which is socially acceptable behavior for women but not for men.  Likewise, when men are sad or feel vulnerable, they will act angry.
  
• People who experience anger more often have personality traits where there is not a lot of self-awareness, and a lot of belief that external factors are to blame.
  

How do you manage anger? (Notice it’s not CONTROL anger)

• move - exercise is one of the body’s normalizers
  
• focus on  your sleep hygiene - get enough hours of actual sleep, not just time in bed.
  
• practice self-awareness, through meditation, mindfulness, thinking about thinking, etc.
  
• Be creative, whatever that looks like for your.  Make/do something out of something else for someone else.
  

THIS WEEK, TRY THIS:  The next time someone blows up at you, take a deep breath, count to three, and tell yourself, “The rage is not about me, it’s about them.”

DAD JOKE:  I spent my entire life saving on pasta.  It was worth every penne.