The American Heritage Dictionary describes anger as a strong feeling of displeasure and hostility.

Basically, anger is the emotional response you feel when your expectations are not met. It might be an unmet expectation that people do the right thing (like a friend returning your book that he had borrowed) or that people will do things the right way.

It may even be an expectation that you have of yourself. Anger, like a double-edged sword, can cut both ways, either by bringing about a positive impact or a negative impact on ourselves and on others. It is a fundamental human emotion, essential for survival and self-defence. However, uncontrolled anger can lead to significant personal and social issues

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Anger management is about learning how to express your anger in a healthy way. It is not about preventing you from expressing anger but is about learning how to recognize anger, what causes it and how to express it.

Part of anger management is learning to recognize the feeling of anger before the reaction to anger actually happens.

Understanding what causes you to become angry is one of the first things you can do to understand how to control your reaction to feeling anger. Secondly, you ought to train yourself to take a deep breath. Breathing deeply fills our lungs with calmness and helps us to exhale the tension.

Thirdly, endeavour to confess to the person who annoyed you about how you feel and why you feel that way. You can also find an appropriate outlet for your emotions, whether through writing in your journal, getting more physical exercise or talking to someone like a peer educator.

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is a balm that heals the wounds inflicted by anger’s sharp tongue. It is important to remember that forgiveness doesn’t mean that you are approving of what the other person did – far from it.

In fact, forgiveness is a way that you can acknowledge to yourself that you’ve been hurt by the other person, while still being able to let go and move on

THE ROLE OF PEER EDUCATORS

Peer educators are the calm in the storm, guiding their peers through devastating mental health issues. They offer a listening ear and a supportive shoulder, thud being practical strategies for anger management.

Sources: www.universalclass.com

Compiled by Sendi Raymond Rayan and Kyobe Dean John

The writers are peer educators trained to support their peers through devastating mental health challenges