Anger Management

         

          

          Anger is often a justified or excused emotion. We rationalize our behavior and actions, often blaming other people or circumstances to be the cause of the problem. Unmanaged anger is the real problem. Like many things in life anger is a habit that we have learned or developed through our choices. In Elder Robbins talk he stated, “To those who say, “But I can’t help myself,” author William Wilbanks responds: “Nonsense.” “Aggression, ... suppressing the anger, talking about it, screaming and yelling,” are all learned strategies in dealing with anger. “We choose the one that has proved effective for us in the past ” (Robbins 1998). We often choose anger because its easy. The “Natural Man” would have us believe that it is the only way to handle the situation. There is a better way. There is a better choice. Elder Robbins continues by saying, “We can choose not to become angry. And we can make that choice today, right now: “I will never become angry again”” (Robbins 1998). We can choose to replace a bad habit with a better more rewarding one. Choosing not to become angry will not only bless our lives and the lives of those around us it will also bring us closer to our Heavenly Father and allow his spirit to dwell within us more abundantly. Anger drives the spirit away. It robs us of compassion, understanding, charity, and opportunities to teach and to guide. Ultimately it can cost us our relationships.

In our home, recently this has become a big topic as we are striving to teach our children to respond instead of react. I will often have my kids stop and think about what they are feeling and doing. I will ask them, “are you reacting or are you responding”. When we choose to react, we are giving way to let our emotions control us, when we choose to respond we are controlling our emotions. As with any habit or consistent choice it takes effort and sacrifice to change. I am confident the through the enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ all things can be overcome. Even those things that may seem impossible.

Reference

Robbins, L. G. (1988, May). Agency and Anger. Retrieved November 06, 2017, from

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/05/agency-and-anger?lang=eng