Dealing with Anger: The FIRE Inside Advisory Guidance Lessons: Anger

ANGER How would you describe Anger? Angry Mad Furious Ticked Off Peeved

Whatever you want to call it, ANGER is one of the most basic human emotions. Have you ever made it through an entire day without getting angry at something or someone? Probably not -- and that is totally normal! Anger

Just like other emotions such as happiness and sadness, there are many different levels and types of ANGER. “I’m so angry that I missed that question on the test” is different from “I’m so angry at my friend because she betrayed me.” Anger

We are all unique. Each of us will deal with ANGER on our own terms. Sometimes we express it in a way that feels good in the moment, but causes more problems afterwards. Can you think of a time when you dealt with your ANGER in a negative way which caused you more problems afterwards? Anger

Sometimes we keep our anger inside because we don’t want to make trouble – but that just seems to make us feel worse. As you can probably tell from looking at the adults in your life, everyone struggles with how and when to express anger. Anger

Anger Anger isn’t something we should ignore or avoid. When we get to know our anger – what causes it, how we react to it – and then learn to manage it, it’s a chance to get to know ourselves a little better and improve our relationships with people. Anger

So what makes you mad? Anger

(How many of these apply to you?) What Makes Us Mad? (How many of these apply to you?) ANGER Getting hurt: “Nothing makes me mad like when my sister punches me.” Getting teased: “When people make fun of me it really hurts because I’m a human too”; “I get mad when my best friend starts making fun of my crush.” Being embarrassed: “I get made when a boy finds out that I like him.” Being left out: “I’m angry when my friends ditch me and leave me.”

(How many of these apply to you?) What Makes Us Mad? (How many of these apply to you?) ANGER Failing or struggling with something: “I get angry when I don’t understand my homework”; “I get angry, it’s mostly in math!” Fighting about possessions: “When my brother takes my iPad and doesn’t even ask, it makes me really mad.” Loss of control: “What makes me angry is when my mom forces me to go somewhere I hate.” Being cheated or lied to: “It makes me mad when people are jerks and lie about something you didn’t do.”

(How many of these apply to you?) What Makes Us Mad? (How many of these apply to you?) ANGER Being told what to do: “Having to clean my room makes me angry.” Being told “no”: My parents sometimes dislike my friends, and I get angry that I can’t get together with them.” Being bothered and annoyed: “My family makes me mad the most because sometimes they really bug me.”

Most of the things that make us angry are things that make other people angry, too. So the question is, how do you deal? Stay tuned to next week when we begin our discussion on negative and positive ways to deal with ANGER. ANGER

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