I’m sure that most, if not all, of us, have reacted with anger to certain situations. It’s a natural-man reaction that surfaces when we feel that we or others have been treated unfairly, or for many other reasons. Learning to understand and control our anger is possible. The following is from the Finding Strength in the Lord – Emotional Resilience manual:
Everyone experiences anger. There are countless reasons to feel angry. We can’t always control angry feelings, and it is easy to feel justified in our anger. We may even feel better in the moment after expressing anger in aggressive ways. But expressing anger doesn’t help us feel better in the long-term, and it can result in strained relationships, physical illness, financial loss, and spiritual or even physical damage to self and others.
The Savior taught the Nephites: “There shall be no disputations among you. . . . For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away” (3 Nephi 11:29–30).
The following are actions that can escalate or control anger:
To manage your anger, identify the different emotions underlying it. It’s often easier to be angry than to deal with your real, underlying feelings. Below is a list of some underlying emotions and experiences that may result in you feeling angry.
To read more about this and other topics, here is a link to the manual: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/ldsorg/topics/self-reliance/Emotional-Self-Reliance-Manual-new.pdf?lang=eng
Contact your ward Self-Reliance Specialist, or myself (see contact information below), for more information. If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know.
The Lord has declared, “It is my purpose to provide for my saints” (D&C 104:15).
Diane Burgoon, Stake Self-Reliance Group Coordinator
330-430-9912 diane.burgoon@yahoo.com
Akron Ohio Stake News 