The 21 Day Find & Define Yourself Challenge: Day 18

Day 18: Write about a time when you became angry in the last 24 hours

Anger can be a useful emotion. Frustration and anger arise when there is an issue with something in our life that needs to be addressed. Perhaps the kids won’t listen, or the guy in front of you cut you off. Maybe your partner complains incessantly and it’s frustrating you. Anger energizes us to take action. It makes us want to address the issue. Research shows that anger can trigger optimism by focusing on what we want to achieve rather than the pain we’re experiencing. 

Anger is often looked down upon, shamed. It is important that we look at this emotion to understand what it is that is causing it to arise.

Misdirected anger is a negative use of anger, often directed towards those who aren’t causing the feelings. Also referred to as displaced anger, anger misdirected can alienate the people who have a positive impact on our lives. At times this can be a coping mechanism, however, displaced anger never ends in a positive way. Understanding where anger and other emotions come from is key to becoming more self-aware.

In your Who Are We? Journal write about a time when you became angry in the last 24 hours. What were you angry about? Which of your values did the situation violate causing the anger? Did you misdirect the anger at a loved one?

For your copy of the 21 Day Find & Define Yourself Challenge, click here.