how do you express your anger?
By ruthinian
@ruthinian (2309)
United States
March 10, 2008 8:03am CST
Hubby and I had a BIG FIGHT... over tuna sandwich. I added some spices and he wanted it plain mayo and tuna. He yelled at me and slammed the door behind him. I was outraged. I put on my boots and goose down jacket and walked three miles (to his aunt's place). Everybody at home was worried. His mother and his step-daughter went driving in separate cars combing the town in search of me. He turned back from work and drove his snowmobile through the woods and our friends came to join the search force too.
I know it was kinda petty and I was kinda stupid for making people worry sick of me. But I was pushed to the limit. I am not a nagger. When I am angry I never talk. And it kills him. My silence is a killer. I also like to walk to think and to avoid saying words that I might regret in the end. It was only last week that I was successful. He always caught me before I went too far.
How do you express your anger? Or do you get angry at all?
2 people like this
25 responses
@jhoannejoj (963)
• Philippines
11 Mar 08
For me silence is the best way to deal with anger. If im so pretty angry to someone, i dont talk because i dont want to regret the words that might come out from my mouth. Words at an anger state can afflict and wound our loveones heart and pride. And if we are angry no more, its too late already to weep on something we have said.
Me and my boyfriend agreed that if we have a fight, one of us should cool down while the other party is still so outraged but harsh word is a NO NO. It really works for us and what we are trying to cope now is distance. Hope things would get better to you and to your hubby.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Yes, silence works for me and my hubby just hates it so much. He can't stand being ignored, that's what he said when I am not talking, I am ignoring him.
@jhoannejoj (963)
• Philippines
22 Mar 08
Same goes with my boyfriend ruthinian.. At first my silence made him more mad because he thought I was ignoring him. I explained to him why I kept silent everytime his angry and he then realized it worked best for us. Hope it will too works for you and your hubby.
@gxnfly (1147)
• China
11 Mar 08
I don't think I have I have a good temper.My whole family is badtempered,maybe it's business drive everyone carzy.
Fortunately my boyfriend has a very good temper,so gentle he never fight with me.
I always can't help myself to yell at him about tiny issues,he will react with a smile:easy ,easy,did you just eat
a cannon?Then I will shut myself down.I think that's good.If
he is outrageous,surely we will have a big fight.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
You are lucky girl. Good for you. Maybe he will teach you to control your anger and temper too. Thanks.
1 person likes this
@jeanniemay (1798)
• Philippines
11 Mar 08
I usually leave the person who will push me to the limit of outbursting some words that I might regret.
Sometimes, words said can never be erased and forgotten by an apology. I'd rather try my best not to say a word to offend someone due to my anger.
When I'm angry, I cry. Sounds weird but I tell the nasty words to myself instead.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
I cry a lot too. It works when my hubby sees me crying. He mellows down a bit. Thanks.
@2btrueinu (700)
• Philippines
11 Mar 08
I'm not easy to angry person but sometime situation/people push me to the limit. When I'm angry I was silent at first I controlled my emotion because sometimes I did things that I really regret in the end. I just make situation funny I always laugh at it. But there a times in my life that I really get angry with my husband and I throw the remote control of our T.V. in the wall and it was broken he fix it and from then on I did not do that ever again. I was really sorry for what I did I know it's not the right thing to do but as I said that time I did not controlled my temper.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Control is powerful. I can say that I need to work on that too. Though I am trying hard enough sometimes when you are really pushed to the limit, it's hard to control emotion when frustration sets in.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Good for you. We already have enough noise pollution to be bothered about. Peace and quiet are a treat. thanks.
@Courtom (287)
• Canada
11 Mar 08
When I get angry in my relationship, I often get silent as well. My Boyfriend can not talk face to face about matters, and he usually just shuts down when i try to argue with him. It gets me so frustrated, but i don't yell, instead, If I am really pissed, I write a letter explaining my feelings, and he responds by writing me a letter, usually in the same night, in different rooms, I might be in the kitchen, computer room, bedroom, and he is usually in the living room in front of the t.v. We never end a day angry with each other. Once we have had time to calm down, and one of us is brave enough to venture into the room with the other person, there is eye contact, followed by a smirk and instant hugs and cuddles for all...lol
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Good for you. We have done that too. But sometimes things like that also wears out. So time to change tactics. LOL.
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
10 Mar 08
i am a person who can hardly control my anger... when i am angry, i just burst and say all the things that i want... i just can't stand bottle it inside... it makes me more stress and frustruated... but over the time, i learn that it is really wrong to do that... this tactic doesn't work with my hubby... in fact, it makes the situation worst as we will keep on yelling and hurting each other at the end... so now, i try to keep quiet when i am angry... and i just use my face expression to show my hubby when i am unhappy... it works much better than yelling and also save my energy... it is true that sometimes silence is golden... :-)
@mbs730 (2147)
• Canada
11 Mar 08
Well I am working on this. In the past I have had unhealthy ways of expressing anger.. either on myself by abusing my body like over eating or.. on others but in a more passive aggressive way. I am doing much less of that now but I am finding myself smacking the desk or wall or something which hurts me in other ways! Ugh... I need to work on my anger issues.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Just be patient and you will be successful with it. Thanks.
@p3halliwel2005 (3156)
• Philippines
10 Mar 08
When I am angry at my husband if he scolds at me I scold at him too..If he doesn't seem to give up that he's losing I just shut up and don't talk to him in a few days or don't even look at him at that point. It's not that I am a nagger because I am not sometimes when I am mad I just frown and stay silent because I just don't want to have a long fight anymore. I am a very silent person but when pushed to the limit I don't back out in a fight especially when I am in the right. I fight for my right that's all.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Oh, that is good. Sometimes you really have to fight for your right. Thanks.
@carolscash (9492)
• United States
10 Mar 08
It actually depends on how mad I am.My husband and I do argue like this at times and he will usually be the one who leaves. I will argue my point if I am 100% right about something. Other than that, I will give him my side of things and then I won't say anhything else, unless he provokes me. Sometimes, he won't stop talking about it and that drives me crazy!
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Same with me. He won't shut up and the talking will just go on and on. So I rather leave. Thanks.
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
11 Mar 08
In a quarrel, I will say what I have to say/shout and then I will keep my mouth shut. If that doesn't improve the situation, I will then walk out of the house to let things cool off between the opposite and me - with my cellphone off as well in case it comes over via this channel.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Cooling off is safer than fighting back. At least for me. Thanks.
@moneyandgc (3428)
• United States
10 Mar 08
If I am angry with my husband it all depends on the circumstances. I can just be very sarcastic or I might be silent and ignore him altogether. He hates both but the silence gets to him faster.
If it has gone farther than that and I am extremely angry I can be pretty mean. I tend to yell and slam stuff. We both try to not let it escalate to this point though, so it rarely happens.
I don't think you were wrong in walking away to get time to gather yourself. Do you live in an unsafe neighborhood or something? Why would everyone worry so much because you left? I have left before and gotten some time to cool down. My husband and family knows that I am a grown adult and I will come back when I feel better. My husband would likely call my cell phone but there wouldn't be a search party unless I didn't come home at all and nobody knew where I was.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
I live in a safe place (I guess). They worried so much because I am new here. I am an immigrant from another country. I am Asian and my husband is American. I don't have relatives or friends (except the two people my husband introduced me to) here. And I don't really know the place well. Places around here are mostly accessible by cars. Good thing I have a good sense of direction and after visiting his aunt twice I memorized the direction going there, it wasn't easy and it was about 3 miles from our home which is surrounded by woods with wild animals (deer, bear, cayote). I was childish I know but I was really frustrated that's why I left. Thanks.
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
11 Mar 08
When I get angry, I tend to start yelling if it is someone I know. If I don't feel comfortable yelling, I start carrying on conversations by myself that I would say to the other person if I had the guts to do so. At this point, I tend to just sulk and stay away from people until I calm down enough to talk reasonably again.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
That is a good thing to do, I guess. Waiting for the right moment when you can think reasonably is the best way to settle things. Thanks.
@pollydhuca (227)
• Indonesia
11 Mar 08
hello . . .ruthinian
when i angry to some body,
i'll speak out to him.. . .without fight !
i tell him with a forbearance..
or i just keep in my heart...! as mellow
one day i'll proof what i said to him when we are in loggerhead
is real...! i never wanted to fight to anybody
i love peace...!
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Good for you. Peace is what the world needs. Thanks a lot.
@chiyosan (30183)
• Philippines
10 Mar 08
when i am already pushed to the limits, when i get that angry, i will usually not talk and would just keep silent until my anger subsides a bit. that way, i will not say things i will regret.
i have never been tactless or a nagger... i dont want hurt people even if they make me angry so they tend to wonder much and think if they have made me angry.
after a while i can already talk to the person and tell him/her what got me angry.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
Silence really works. For me... less talk, less mistake. Thanks.
@katisaurus (1038)
• Canada
10 Mar 08
Depending on how angry I am. I try to control it. I have anger issues and there's been times where I've gone for walks just 'cause of how mad I was. I've hit things, screamed. I remember when my boyfriend and I broke up, things got so tough between us. We were fighting so much and it was terrible. I took off from my house for about 7 hours. He had someone come looking for me though so I wasn't alone most of the night since I was found. But for the most part if I'm angry I do anything to let it out. I hate keeping in things like that. It's unhealthy.
@pinay81 (1535)
• Philippines
10 Mar 08
when im angry i control to not shout i keep myself quite silence go to room alone and not talk to anyone my family and my husband knows when im angry or mad because im so quite not talking and i almost not eating in one day when i cannot control my anger i shout, and throw the things that i want to throw, punch the wall and cry very loud in the room untill i feel tired and sleep.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
11 Mar 08
People have different ways of expessing our emotions. Thanks.
@hallmarkjl (500)
• United States
10 Mar 08
When I was younger from age 8 til about 13 I was violent when I was mad. I would beat the living crap out of my little brother *who now i must say is a lil over 6ft tall and very built lol* I had a very bad anger problem like my father. He would get mad at the drop of a hat over a very simple thing and would take it out on us kids. He never hit me, but I do remember him hittin my brother and sister. He was mostly mentally abusive to me as well to my brother and sister. When I was about 13-14 my aunt told me that I should learn to control my anger otherwise I would end up just like my dad. I couldnt stand the thought of that and did a total 180. From the age of about 14 til I was 18 I didnt show my anger at all. I just kept it all bottled up. Which is not a smart thing to do because every once in awhile something simple would really make me mad and I'd really blow up on the person. After a few times of blowing up on my boyfriend *now husband* he told me to tell him when something is bugging me or making me mad instead of holding it in all the time. I'm 19 going on 20 right now and that is exectly what I do. If something is making me mad I talk to him about it. Which either leads to us solving the problem or us getting into an argument. When we do fight and I'm angry then I'll tell him execly how I feel and at times I do yell. That or I just walk away and think about things. When I think about things 1 of 2 things can happen. I calm down or i get even more pissed off. But that is what I tend to do. I either talk to the person about it, walk away and think or just let it go and try to ignore it.
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
10 Mar 08
Thanks for your nice response. I appreciate it. You did a good job in anger management. I tried to talk or discuss things too but the problem with us, actually is our different culture. He is American and I am Asian. Sometimes language barrier is really a big problem much less difference in culture. That is why I just kept quiet and it works. But we talk about it too when the heat is gone.
@heart143 (1202)
• Philippines
10 Mar 08
You know me well. I'm a cool person. I don't easily get mad. But when I get mad...I really get fuming mad! And when I'm mad...I say bad things I always regret in the end. It also hurts me when I say bad things because I'm not used to saying such things. So, when I'm really angry, just like you...I keep quiet...if possible I'll isolate myself...thinking over and over again...trying to figure out how and why things went out of hand. I cry if I need to release my anger. In the end after I have composed myself...I try to talk to the person. If I can't say it personally, I do it in writing.