Thursday, March 28, 2024
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Anger is a great energizer if you don’t get stuck in it.
— Lavonne Stewart
Many of us have to face up to our anger and the negative ways we have handled it. For most men, the real problem is not anger itself, but how we express it. Some of us never express it; others of us get abusive when we express it. Either way calls for more growth. Often, people confuse anger with abuse. They may say, “I just have to express my feelings, and when I’m angry, I have to let it out.” Other people say, “Anger is so hurtful. I will avoid it at all costs.”
Healing requires that we look to see the sources of our anger, how we have expressed it or failed to, and then learn how to say our feelings honestly and with respect. When we see what we are actually angry about, it gives us energy, it motivates us. It’s a life force. There is no rule that we have to show our anger in destructive ways. We can be flat‑out angry at someone we love and still maintain the respect we hold for that person. It is possible to learn to look at a friend and say, “I feel angry about this, and I’m here to tell you about it because I care about our friendship.”
Today, I will accept my angry feelings as a source of life energy, and I will find honest, respectful ways to show them.
Hazelden Foundation
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