How I am Learning to Manage Sadness and Anger
At some point, everyone experiences some degree of anger and sadness. Some people can control those emotions easily. For others, self-control is much more difficult. My anxiety and depression have caused me to lose control over sadness and anger verbally. In this post, I discuss my triggers for anger and sadness and how I am learning to deal with them.
My Relationship with Anger and Sadness
Lately, I have been going to bed feeling sad, angry, or both. A big part of my negative emotions stems from inequality in an unjust society. I spend nights dwelling on all the reasons life isn’t fair.
Sometimes, I ruminate over my childhood. I wasn’t an angel, but I was a decent child. I struggled in school but still tried to understand everything and catch up with my classmates. There was a lot of anxiety and frustration. There were plenty of tears for not learning as fast or being as smart as everyone else. I cried all the time because I considered myself a stupid failure.
As an adult, I still feel like a stupid failure after every mistake. I often think that my inadequacies will make me a terrible partner. And I sometimes think that I don’t deserve to be loved.
The difference between my adulthood and childhood is that I’m angrier now. Yes, I still cry. But when I’m with a person I trust or when I’m alone, I often cuss or frantically write about my envy for people who get everything handed to them without trying. I also vent about being single. Sometimes, I can’t seem to stop expressing negativity. When I lose control, I get angry at myself for letting it happen.
My Therapist Is Helping Me Soothe My Sadness and Anger
Over the last few weeks, my therapist and I have talked about ways to self-soothe. We talked about identifying cognitive distortions, like the overgeneralization that everyone else is better than me. We also talked about future telling, like assuming that I will die alone without reaching my goals. We talked about reframing those thoughts by identifying my positive qualities and being mindful of the present.
Additionally, we talked about ways to self-soothe at different times. For instance, during a busy workday, I will remind myself that I am a hard worker. As long as I am trying my best, that is enough.
During my free time, I will listen to music, write stories, chew gum, color, and drink water. Outside of work, I will hang out with people, walk my dogs, join writing groups, and help people on the Crisis Text Line. I will always try to practice gratitude, empathy, forgiveness, and compassion.
Sadness and anger are normal human emotions. But they do not have to destroy my self-esteem or take away the joy in my life. By using helpful coping skills, I will gain more control over my emotions.
If you have struggled with anger or sadness, how have you self-soothed? Share your ideas in the comments.
APA Reference
Lueck, M.
(2023, October 15). How I am Learning to Manage Sadness and Anger, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 9 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/toughtimes/2023/10/how-i-am-learning-to-manage-sadness-and-anger
Author: Martha Lueck
This article really resonates with me. Learning how to self-soothe when you can feel your emotions are running high can be so difficult but so necessary. I can feel anxious, angry and just feel like being on my own and it's in these times that I have to sum up the courage to self soothe. I have to talk to myself as if i'm talking to my best friend. I find the best way to self-soothe though is by going for a walk amongst nature and listening to a podcast or music to calm my whole body down. Sometimes it can feel like an indulgence being kind to myself but I have to remind myself that I not only deserve it but it's imperative to to my wellbeing.