Journaling your thoughts- Anger Management and the ink pen.

Journaling can be used as a very beneficial tool to manage one’s anger. Journaling from one’s anger is one of the most effective activities to help vent your feelings. I like to call this journal your “Healing Feelings Journal” because in a way you are healing yourself by letting it all out. Below is the step by step approach to learn how to journal through your anger in a “Healing Feelings Journal”

 Step 1: Write from your feelings, let the anger or whatever emotion you may be experiencing do the writing uninterrupted. Don’t edit what you are saying, don’t try to be rational or “nice” during this first step. The point is to try to purge yourself from the anger or angry feelings.

 Step 2: The next step is to validate your emotions. Anger is designed to protect you: the reason one feels angry is because a boundary violation has occurred: either a physical or emotional boundary violations. So honor your anger. You might say, “I give myself permission to feel angry because he betrayed me with another woman.”  Sometimes when our anger gets the best of us we say and do things we regret but by taking the time to vent your feelings within an “Anger Journal” you take precaution to only vent this out to yourself and at the same time you remain in control of your angry feelings without being destructive towards others or yourself. In journaling in your “Anger Journal” you are in control and expressing all of those angry feelings in a healthy, therapeutic process where nobody gets hurt.

 Step 3: Continue to write in your “Healing Feelings Journal”. Keep it separate from you other writing. Allow this journal to be a “dumping ground” for these negative emotions.

Make sure you write about all of your frustrations, fears, sorrows, pains, guilt, anxiety, frustrations, disappointments, worries, etc in this journal.

 Step 4: You know you can stop writing when you start to repeat yourself, feel a sense of relief or can’t think of anything else to write down.

 Step 5: Lastly, once you have purged yourself from the negative emotions than on a fresh new page write about one thing you are grateful for, appreciate, and or feel optimistic about.

 Diana Bonilla, M.A. is an anger management instructor at Daybeak Counseling Service.