How to Turn Anger from a Negative to a Positive

There’s an old curse: May you live in interesting times. The last couple of years have been interesting to say the least. Dealing with COVID, unprecedented demand for products and services, supply chain challenges, multiple price increases, and on and on. While many BKBG Shareholders reported record years in 2021, not many would like a repeat in 2022. “Too much scar tissue,” is a common reason why. And when you are running at 1000 miles an hour, it’s not difficult to lose your cool. Most people try to repress their anger in the showroom, but that’s not necessarily a good thing, claims author David Kessler who writes “anger is pain’s bodyguard.”

It's okay to be upset and get angry if you channel that anger positively. Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffie, co-authors of Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay advise to let people know how you feel when they make you angry. “Anger is a much healthier response than fear because it triggers feelings of uncertainty and control, which are much less likely to lead to the adverse effects of stress like high blood pressure or stress hormone secretion.”

Big Feelings authors claim that if you are angry don’t simply look for ways to blow off steam because that does not cause anger or its adverse effects to wane. Similarly, don’t rehash your complaints without making an effort to understand or resolve them. To do so, determine the cause of your anger and what you need to do to be okay. What actions do you need to take to feel better and what can you do right now to resolve the issue. Determine what you have to lose and gain if you don’t resolve the situation.

When you are angry about something, give yourself time to calm down before reacting. When you are angry, it’s difficult to think clearly. If the cause of your ire are events or circumstances beyond your control, find ways to remove yourself from the situation.

If channeled correctly, anger can be a positive, the authors claim, because anger can be used to effectively advocate for what you want. Most people associate anger with being out of control. Anger signals that something is not right, and it provides an opportunity to right wrongs.