Workout 2 - Managing Anger Workout Summary

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3 Action Points

• Count the cost of anger (both general and specific).

• Replace the negative (harmful) with the positive (helpful, beneficial)—in line with advice given in Homer’s Iliad.

• Parallel practice anger by embracing the opposite of what you desire.

Managing Anger Workout Summary

Workout 2 centers on anger management. After a brief word on management (literally, taking something in hand), we’ll consider anger itself before looking at how we can manage or deal with anger both directly and indirectly.

We’ll begin by observing what happens when we don’t deal with or manage anger. In doing so, we’ll count the cost of anger—both its general cost (using Achilles’ anger as an example) and its specific cost (remembering a time we were angry).

Next, following the advice of Odysseus and others in Homer’s Iliad, we’ll learn to replace the negative with the positive—that is, harmful anger with helpful “friendliness, kindness, and gentle mindedness.”

To practice this replacement (of the harmful negative with the helpful positive), we’ll write a postcard to someone we were once angry with (don’t worry, you don’t have to send it!). In doing so, we’ll contemplate what positive emotion, thought, or action we could have substituted in place of our anger.

Finally, we’ll parallel practice managing anger.

Parallel practice is indirect practice. It enables us to practice dealing with or managing a desire or emotion such as anger when we don’t actually feel the desire or emotion. Consequently, when we do feel the desire or emotion, we are better able to deal with or manage them.

Don’t worry, we’ll go into parallel practice more and give a handful of practice ideas.

To see Workout 2 - Managing Anger in whole, 

click on the PDF “Workout 2 - Managing Anger.”

Best of benefits in practicing!

The Cave.