Managing Anger and Depression

By Merely Me Friday, May 14, 2010

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Hey all!

In some of our recent posts we have been talking about anger and how to manage it. I thought it might be a good idea to discuss this openly.

Anger is a predominant emotion underlying much of depression. And it is healthy to acknowledge it in a safe way which doesn't hurt you or other people.

Here are some step recommended by "Anger Management for Dummies" by W. Doyle Gentry PhD.:

1. Come up with a label to indentify the intensity of your anger. Are you irrate? Enraged? Irritated? Or Livid? Or other descriptor?

2. Identify the thing or event which tirggered your anger. You can say..."I feel (label that you identified in step one) when so and so....engages in this behavior.

3. Ask yourself what would it take to return to a state of peacefulness and not feeling so angry.

If anyone wishes to talk about their personal examples...we will be glad to help you with your anger management process.

Now...let's talk about the week!

1. On a scale of one to ten...how would you rate this week?

2. What was the best part of this week and what was the worst?

3. What have you done to improve your mental health this week?

The Midweek Muse: Doing the Right Thing

Comments (9) | Add comment

Donna-1

5/14/10 5:47pm

1. Come up with a label to indentify the intensity of your anger. Are you irrate? Enraged? Irritated? Or Livid? Or other descriptor? Mine boils for a while then becomes white-hot and I take it out on myself. Burn inside.

3. Ask yourself what would it take to return to a state of peacefulness and not feeling so angry. I meditate. I medicate. I write in my journal.

Now...let's talk about the week!

1. On a scale of one to ten...how would you rate this week? This week would be about a 6 for me.

2. What was the best part of this week and what was the worst? The best? I woke up feeing excellent this morning. Didn't last all day, but was good for a few hours...and I certainly enjoyed it. Worst was going to my psychiatrist and having to go back on Zyprexa.

3. What have you done to improve your mental health this week? Switched back to Zyprexa when Geodon had too many bad side effects. The lesser of two evils. I have also given my TV to my sister. It is a nice TV, too. I just found myself watching reruns of CSI and Law & Order and so forth, and I cannot let myself just be a couch potato. She said she would let me loan it to her, then she will give it back if I decide I want it down the line. I already feel better. I moved my music equipment into the living room where the TV sat and have been listening to sweet/sad love songs and Big Band swing! I like both. The Big Band sounds make me want to dance (and sometimes I do, after I lower the blinds.)

I do hope you all have a great weekend! I am going to see Iron Man 2...I hope it is good. It is nice to get out and see a movie. If you can...get out of the house. It can do wonders for your mental health. Sounds good to me. I want to see "Leaves of Grass." But I haven't checked to see if it an art house movie or in the regular theaters. The only art house theater is in Dallas and I wouldn't drive that far for a movie. I can wait till the DVD comes out if I have to.

Have a good weekend!

Donna

Ricovring

5/14/10 8:13pm

Anger can be a source of depression, yes I agree. I tend to turn on myself also when I get white hot. (Isn't that was when the devil gets in his licks?) For me there is a spiritual reason why anger turns to sourness. Perfectionism requires that I only say something that is good- "If you don't have something good to say, then don't say anything!" Anger is therefore ostricized, leaving the angry person to stew in their own juices. If you are often angry, you can feel disconnected to the politically correct upness. That's one of the main cry's of the depressed- feeling disconnected. Feeling up all the time is a sham, the truth will set you free. My week...another 10+

jpw2008

5/14/10 9:07pm

I was a 4 this week

I like the word enraged

This site drives me up a wall

____-out

Going out to eat was best

Rest of it was the worst

Cant remember anything else

I am also enraged at myself

I make plenty of problems for myself

Jon

LyraStorm

5/15/10 4:04am

Anger is something I had to learn to deal with... funnily enough it was about letting it go that helped. I was so afraid of it coming out I held on so tightly and of course that made it worse. It was when I finally had had enough and decided to let go of the reins on that beast that I suddenly was able to breathe and deal with life again...

My week was pretty ok actually. It got better and better as time went on. I'd say it ended up as a 6/7.

The best part was definitely in my acting class - I did 5 scenes in a day. Normally we (the students) do 2 or at max 3 but most of the students were away (trying to catch up on the book report they hadn't yet presented we think) so the class was significantly smaller and thus there was more time for scenes. In fact there were only 4 of us. I did one scene with the teacher, 2 scenes with one of my classmates, and then one each with the other two. I ended up doing 3 scenes in a row before lunch, and 2 in a row after lunch, which can be a little tricky because you have to get the circumstances of one scene out of your head and put yourself in the new scenario right away... I loved it though. My head was abuzz but I felt so alive. And like I had really accomplished some stuff by the end of the day. I love acting so

I also helped a friend out with a video he was filming yesterday. I mainly just had to travel out to the botanic gardens, stand in the sun talking most of the day, and just enjoy myself. Pretty good way to spend the day, I thought.

The worst part of the week was right at the beginning (or maybe the end of last week) surrounding my birthday... but who cares about that now? Moving onwards...

Rosemarie

5/16/10 3:42pm

Hi, The best part of the week was getting the results back that my lump in my breast isnt Cancerous but needs to be checked regularly... whew !!

The worst part was realising that Im coming down again [so soon] with another very very bad Depression. The cycles seem to be quicker.

A good part was that finally, my public Sector Psyciatrist actually took my Depression seriously and wants to see me again this coming week as she feels Im very deeply depressed. She's finally seen past the Blonde hair and make-up and effort to look 'normal' when feeling like a Rats Ass.

I am angry, agitated. It comes out inapropriately, not at people, just in the morning, I wake with a churning stomach after a restless night of nightmares and wake/sleep pattern. I feel angry at myself for being so nervous/phobic and for not having achieved anything in life. I feel angry at my mother for coming back into my life, having been told by me to leave me alone.

Yes, she came back [having dumped me at 6months and never showed any love] recently, because at 80, she needs to appease her conscience. But, she spoke about us living together in the UK and now, she's turned away again and isnt calling. Im SO angry that she's sorry Ive allowed her, to play around with my heart and head again. I am angry at my extended family who know I live alone and have no job and never bother their ass to phone or call. I am not a nasty person. Just poor. I wont go on any longer. My week about 4.

Sorry this is so Angry and Negative but Ive got to be Honest.

Anonymous

5/16/10 4:08pm

you've got get it out of your system.no apology needed.

anne1123

5/16/10 5:56pm

I don't deal well with anger. It takes a lot to make me angry and when I get really angry I don't like the way it makes me feel. I think I reduce a lot of my anger to resentment and don't really deal with it.

My week has been about a five. I have been unfocused and sad. My family in South Carolina let their phone get disconnected and I am here in New York worrying about what is up and what to do as if there is anything I really can do. Wrote a letter and mailed it right away. Now all I can do is wait.

I got called up to work and start a week of training tomorrow. At least I will keep busy and earn some money. That is good but new things are stressful.

My cats keep me from being too lonely and I know that sounds pathetic to some people. But I rather have two cats that love me than be involved in some dysfunctional relationship. Swore I would never settle again.

I guess I am angry at my family for not taking better care of their situation. They bled money for years and now that it is gone they have no resources. I have no responsibility in the situation and yet because they are family I feel like I ought to be able to do something. But it makes me angry to feel that way.

///

5/16/10 9:57pm

Hummm... you dont want to know

stardust

5/17/10 6:07pm

Hmmm. I tend to surpress it... not healthy either emotionally or physically. Didn't chance to show it as a child, Not until I was 22 and old enough to realize how wrong many of the behaviors were of my parents. Anger, control, manipulation, etc.

Didn't take anger out on any friends or other family - at all. In college I took a class in Assertiveness Training. Wow, what a tremendous tool in managing anger (if you can talk in spite of the anger), or wait til the anger cools some and then discuss the situation. Lots of "Today I felt very angry when you said 'such and such' while talking to our friends", and why. The use of 'I need' and 'I want' are very powerful phrases I learned from a professional. Just examples. I do feel rage inside - mostly over past abuse and leftover child indesccretions. I keep it there and work through it with my therapist.

Well, that's how I manage anger! Gina

Managing Anger and Depression

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