Anger Management

Dear Family,

I want to post my response to the "Rumble to a Roar" lesson that Dad sent out for Family Home Evening. Dad, I appreciate very much you taking the time to put that lesson together, and sending it out. It is very appropriate! There were many things that I appreciated in that paper. A few of the points stuck out in particular.

1) All of the articles seem to suggest that it is critical to face feelings of anger, and the feelings that lead to anger. The alternative is to supress them, which ultimately results in an unwanted explosion. There were many techniques that were suggested, a few that I liked: physical activity, writing the feelings down, reading, and getting away to a peaceful environement.

2) The 2nd article discussed what to really amount to the two kinds of anger: current and unresolved anger. I think that the more dangerous type is the unresovled, becuase it has the ability to resurface with renewed strength and presence every time it reoccurs. Some of the steps listed seemed a little exrtreme--yelling at the top of your lungs until you feel better, but perhaps appropriate...I'm not sure yet. I think that it is most important to resolve and face the unresolved issues.

3) They all seem to indicate two key ingredients to reduce and eliminate anger in our lives: empathetic understanding and forgiveness. I think that sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment, both of these are almost to high of hurdles to jump. I suppose that is where the Savior comes into play. He can soften the anger in our hearts, help us understand, and fill our hearts with a love capable of forgiving.

They were great talks / messages. Thanks again Dad for the encouragment and opportunity to read!

love you all,

Steven