The Three Steps of Anger First Aid

When the limbic system is running amok and your body is surging with adrenaline, you need a simple strategy to deal with anger.

Anger First Aid consists of three simple steps to apply whenever you become angry in order to keep from acting out destructively.

You must become more aware of yourself. The true way to measure our ability to understand, respond to and measure our emotions is to assess the role anger plays in our life. Do we get angry often? Is our anger channeled in productive or counter-productive ways? Do we direct anger towards others or towards ourselves?

At times, anger is a response to a stressful stimulus. It is a powerful survival tool which helps to protect us and keep us alive. It is also a useful source of energy.

Anger accelerates our thoughts to a very rapid rate. For short durations, this is healthy. However, remaining in a state of anger for a sustained period of time is physically and emotionally unhealthy.

When we are angry we make poor decisions. We become confrontational with those around us. At home, this can translate into either verbally or physically abusive behavior toward those we love. In the workplace it can take the form of threatening or bullying behavior toward subordinates and or lashing out against superiors.

Anger is not a primary emotion. If you are angry there is a direct cause. Therefore, to control your anger you must identify the root cause. You must perform a self-assessment.

The Three Steps of Anger First Aid are:

1) Recognizing that you are angry.
2) Taking a cleansing breath.
3) Taking a break, a Time Out or a cool down period.

[from George Anderson]

To get more information about how The WIN Institute – Minnesota Anger Management can assist you with your anger, stress and/or aggressive behavior (physical or verbal), please contact:

Steven W. Clark, CAMF, COAMF, CDVF
The WIN Institute -- Minnesota Anger Management
3300 Bass Lake Road, Suite 400E
Brooklyn Center, MN 55429
763-913-0130
Web Site: www.thewininstitute.org
Blog Site: www.thewininstitute.blogspot.com