Talk Therapy: 4 Simple Ways to Process Anger

Real Talk with Rachael Podcast

As a counselor in training, I have discovered that many people suffer from chronic stress and anxiety simply because they do not allow themselves to feel the emotions that arise. Anger and other emotions are normal human responses.

Ephesians 4:26 says:

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger..."

You’ve probably heard sermons before that remind us anger itself is not the problem, rather it is the sin that follows that anger.

I believe anger gets lodged in our hearts when we fail to process it. It then gets expressed in ways that we don’t even notice….such as passive-aggressiveness, avoidance, and stonewalling, and not letting others in.

Here are four simple ways to feel and release your anger:

1. Talk to God about it.
2. Journal about it.
3. Talk to the person about it.
4. Anger iceberg exercise. The Anger Iceberg represents the idea that, although anger is displayed outwardly, other emotions may be hidden beneath the surface. These other feelings—such as sadness, fear, or guilt—might cause a person to feel vulnerable, or they may not have the skills to manage them effectively.

Download the Anger Iceberg worksheet from Therapist Aid here.

Lean into whatever you are feeling today and take space to process it with God.

Here are two questions to ponder:

1. What emotions have I been stuffing lately?
2. How is the stuffing process working? Is it showing up in other areas of my life?

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