Anger Management is a choice.
The emotion of anger in and of itself is not a choice. A persons feeling are neither right nor wrong. They are just your feelings and ones we need to accept in order to cope with them. However, how you manage your anger and how you respond to it is your CHOICE.
Understanding anger management as a CHOICE first begins with taking responsibility for your actions. You will never make changes until you first admit there is a problem with your anger and when you stop blaming other people for “making me angry.” You can learn anger management techniques, regardless of the cause of your anger. Admitting the fact that your anger is out-of-control is essential to tackling the problem. Uncontrolled anger results in added troubles to your life. But you can control your anger! Controlling your anger is a CHOICE you can make! It starts with controlling your behaviors and making the CHOICE to behave in a different way in response to angry feelings. There are several tools available to use that can help with managing anger and also several behaviors that are maladaptive. It is up to you to choose what direction to take. When we discuss CHOICE in anger management classes, we discuss our freedom to choose, how to take responsibility and how we have the strength and ability to make different CHOICES.
This is my no means an easy task, but it is possible! It does take a lot of practice and repetitive behaviors to re-train ourselves to do things different. I love the quote often used, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Meaning, if you keep behaving in the same way, change will not occur. It takes changing behaviors to change results. And, it all begins with making a different CHOICE. If you find yourself struggling to come up with other ideas/tools, I encourage you to attend an anger management class. Making this CHOICE can be life changing!
Daybreak Counseling Service is located in Yorba Linda, California in Orange County. We are adjacent Riverside County. For more information please visit http://daybreakservices.com or call toll free 855-NO ANGER, 855-662-6437
