Page 56 - Taming Your Gremlin A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way (Rick Carson)_Neat

Anger

You may notice, for example, that your habitual physical response to
anger is to shorten your breathing. Your habit may be to talk yourself out of
your anger, to rationalize it, to rant and rave, to eat, to drink, to fight, or to

depress yourself by unconsciously suppressing it. You may experience
anger as powerful, as scary, as sexy, or as disgusting. You might become
energized, nauseous, vengeful, super-nice, sarcastic, placating, attacking, or
very analytical, or you might go to outrageous lengths to avoid the feeling.

I suggest that beginning today you pay close attention to your habitual
responses to your experience of anger, keeping in mind that your anger
may, at times, take the form of a minor irritation, while at other times you
may experience it as a tidal wave of rage. It is unnecessary to analyze your

feeling however you experience it. Simply notice the effect of anger on
your body, especially on your breathing. When you choose not to express it,
what do you do with it instead? You may find that you store it in your
stomach, your neck, your shoulders, your head, or your back. I’m certainly
not suggesting that you should always express your anger. I am suggesting
only that you simply notice your habits for responding to this emotion. Are

you more comfortable expressing anger with men, women, young people,
or old people? What happens to your voice when you get angry? Simply
notice.

The following experiment will help you get a handle on some of your
beliefs about the nature of anger. It is on these beliefs that your habitual
behavior patterns regarding anger are based. Center yourself; then read the
following items in a state of relaxed concentration and allow yourself to fill
in the blanks with your honest reactions.

1. I imagine that those who know me well would say that
when I am angry I