Disclaimer:  This information is not intended to be a replacement for treatment nor any sort of medical intervention.

Journaling: Anger Management

Journaling allows us a safe space to prioritize problems, fears, and concerns. It allows us to process emotions and situations that may be weighing on us. You can organize your thoughts, set and achieve goals, self-reflect, relieve stress, and inspire creativity. Journaling is a form of therapy as you are holding a conversation with the person who knows you best: you. 

For in the moment anger… 

1.) Express your anger: put on paper every negative thought, wish, and destructive impulse. Be completely unfiltered throughout this process. This is for your eyes only, so treat it that way. No one will see what you write, and you can always shred it when you’re done. Write until you feel the anger and tension release or until you are exhausted. 

2.) What are you angry about? What happened to hurt you? Was it an act by someone else? A situation out of your control? Free write, beginning with, “I’m angry because …” 

For reflection and exploration… 

3.) What occurred when you became angry? How did you react? 

4.) What were your automatic thoughts about the situation? Is there evidence to support this thought? 

5.) What was the outcome of how you reacted? Do you think you could’ve handled the situation differently? How? 

6.) Were you already nervous, tense, and pressured about something else? If so, what? 

7.) How did your body respond? What physical sensations did you notice? 

8.) What does your anger tell you about your life? What does it tell you about yourself? 

9.) What are the good and the bad things about your anger? 

10.) Write a conversation with your anger. Ask it why it exists and what positive action it wants you to take to feel better. 

11.) Write several concrete steps you can take, along with how you will accomplish them. How can you respond differently, or what do you need to do to protect yourself from being hurt again? 

12.) What purpose does anger serve in your life and learning? 

13.) Free write about all the ways your anger empowers you to change your life, beginning with, “My anger empowers me to …”