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Many
people hesitate to admit or expose their
own anger. Usually they have witnessed
ill effects of this emotion so they have
resolved not to be lowered to crude or
abrupt expressions of any kind. When an
anger producing circumstance occurs, these
people stoically put on a good front and
pretend to have no anger at all. “Who
me? Angry? No, really, everything is just
fine.”
To get an idea if this
practice is common to you, see how many
of the following statements might apply
to you fairly frequently.
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I
can be image conscious. I don't like
to let others know my problems.
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Even when
I feel flustered, I try to present
myself as having it all together. |
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I am rather
reserved about sharing my problems
or frustrations. |
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If a family
member or friend upsets me I can let
days pass without discussing it. |
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I have a tendency
to be depressed or moody. |
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Resentful
thinking is common for me, although
many people would never suspect it.
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I
have suffered from physical complaints
(for example, headaches, stomach ailments,
sleep irregularities). |
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There
are times when I doubt the validity
of my own opinions or preferences.
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Sometimes
I feel paralyzed when confronted with
an unwanted situation. |
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I'm
not inclined to initiate conversations
about sensitive or troublesome topics. |
The
more of these statements that you can
check, the more inclined you are to suppress
your anger. Be aware, though, that this
does not mean your problems with anger
are solved. In fact, they are only heightened.
Think of your kitchen trash sack. When
you place trash there, then no one takes
it out at the end of the day, you can
probably get away with it. But let’s
suppose several more days go by and it
still has not been taken out. It gets
overflowing and smelly! The same can be
said about the suppression of anger. If
you do not let it out, at first it would
seem that you have avoided a problem,
but over time be prepared to live with
the effects of many emotional issues that
have “piled up” in your personality.
The result will be depression, bitterness,
disillusionment and the like.
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