Communication
A Key to Anger Management

Our styles of communication can have a great affect on the level of anger experienced, not only by other people, but by ourselves. Disrespectful, manipulative, and negative styles of communication can obviously trigger anger in others. Nobody likes feeling disrespect, manipulated, or attacked. When our communication triggers anger in another, their hostile response can trigger anger in us. Anger management can help us to respond in non-hostile ways, communicating our needs and feelings rather than continuing the cycle of hostility. Skilled communication is an important key to anger management.

Looking beyond this obvious cycle of hostility, communication plays another key role in anger management. Our words shape our thoughts, and our thoughts strongly influence our emotional state. Skilled communication avoids negatively loaded words, and helps us manage our anger by changing the way we think. Words have power, the power to inflame or to calm. A more important factor in anger management than whether or not we inflame another by our communication, is whether or not our communication process helps to keep us calm and centered.

Read more about communication as a key to anger management.