Chapter 3

Anger is a very important emotion, but what do you think of when you think of anger? Do you think yelling and dominance? Or do you think conditioned response and defense mechanisms? A source provided by TherapistAid.com states things such as, "In some families, anger is seen as more acceptable than other emotions. A person might express anger in order to mask emotions that cause them to feel vulnerable, such as hurt or shame." And, "Anger may be fueled by different emotions at different times, or by a combination of emotions. Sometimes, however, anger is just anger." Something I was told to do was to look up an anger iceberg, circle the emotions that I mask with anger, then on the back of the page write why I circled what I circled. I wrote, "I circled a lot because I thought at a young age that anger equals gaining respect, so I would always mask everything with anger and now I can't stop." The emotions that an average anger iceberg lists are sadness, disappointment, loneliness, overwhelmed, embarrassment, hurt, helplessness, frustration, insecurity, hunger, grief, anxiety, stress, threatened, tired, contempt, guilty, jealous, scared, and ashamed. Now ask yourself, which of these would you circle and why? Now onto dysregulation, a time when you may feel anger or may be caused by anger, or something else entirely. A friend of mine from residential, C.C., made an acronym to help you remember how you can take care of yourself and prevent further stress during dysregulation. The acronym is MEGAN; M: Move your body. E: Examine your emotions. G: Get some air. A: Ask for support. N: Never isolate. Make sure that when you start to dysregulate, you think of this acronym and try your best to use coping skills. In the next chapter I'll be talking about anxiety/stressors vs triggers. Thank you for reading My Journey Through Mental Health, Going Through it Together.