[Ginger]

Originally Posted by adorable

Anger is also fleeting. A feeling that passes, like all other feelings, AS LONG AS, I don't act on it. Unlike other feelings, it's one that by acting on it, will create more feelings. It's easy to go from a dust storm to a tornado and not know how you got there. (true story)

I love your metaphor of anger as a dust storm or tornado and it feels right—anger is like a hot wind that takes the breath out of your mouth.

But for me, anger isn't fleeting. If I don't express it—and I try to use my verbal skills—it doesn't go away, it goes underground, and emerges later as self-hatred. I internalize the angry person's view of me, and start to sink into a place where I'm not sure who I am.

I've learned to recognize that process, and my problem-solving skills kick in. I'm good at finding validation outside of the interpersonal dynamic where the anger arose, and I've found that validation from any healthy place can help me climb back up to a happier place.