Anger is a very normal emotion to have. It’s especially normal in response to a traumatic event, where in you won’t feel close to people, and you’ll feel on edge. Friends and family will most likely tell you that you’re not yourself. You’ll probably know this is true, but sometimes you may not realize you went through it at all. Many times we see these events come out during drug detox and trauma treatment.
Since the event, your body goes into survival mode. In some cases the anger surrounding the event goes away, but sometimes it doesn’t. We hold it tight and turn our anger and rage on to people around us, lashing out, losing our temper at the smallest of infractions. Emotionally we are looking to control other situations because we lost control of another one, and it haunts us still.
If you find you are stuck in this mode, you might feel this way: You are on alert and looking for situations where you might be physically or emotionally hurt again, you’re feeling that anger is the better way to get the job done, and you’re suddenly fearful of situations that might possibly be dangerous.
What can you do about them? In drug detox and trauma treatment, there are some ways to deal with this. If you have already gone through drug detox you can also cope with this emotion. Talk to your counselor and ask for help to cope with anger. If you’re feeling angry at family and friends, take a walk and be alone for a little while; don’t escalate the anger. Don’t bottle up your feelings, talk to someone you trust, who is safe, and writing down how you feel is extremely therapeutic. Relaxing by using yoga, meditation, or other forms of exercise are highly encouraged.
Say the serenity prayer. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”