180 Emotions - Journal Prompts (Part 4 of 6 - Anger)

Anger

Of all the emotions, this one is the loudest and proudest. It is incapable of reason and will intimidate you into letting it stick around.

Past

1. Write about a time when you were so upset you threw or broke something. What made you angry? After a day had passed, how did you feel about what had happened?

2. What is something a close friend of yours said that infuriated you? What was said? Could you understand why your friend might have said this, or was it completely off base?

3. Can you remember a day when it seemed like every little thing got under your skin? What kind of things bothered you? How did you react? Was there a separate reason for why everything was making you angry that day?

4. Describe a time when you told someone to do something and that person angered you by doing the opposite. What feelings did you experience in addition to anger? How did you confront that person about what happened? How were you able to forgive that person? Has anything similar happened since then?

5. What is the angriest you've ever made another person? How was that person visibly affected? Could you tell that you had infuriated that person by that person's physical changes or did you become aware because something was told to you? Did that person yell? What was it that you did or said to evoke such a response? Can you understand the other person's reasons for getting angry?

6. What is something that made you silently angry for a while until you could no longer hold it inside and you had to bring the issue up to someone else? Write about what you remember. What was it that bothered you? How did it end up getting solved?

7. When has someone been angry with you over a period of time, because you wouldn't give that person the thing that person wanted (or the thing that person wanted to hear)? Write about what happened and how you dealt with it. Did you end up giving in over time? If you did, what finally got you to break down? Do you wish things would have gone a different way?

8. Can you remember a time when you were so angry that you wanted to hurt someone? Who was the person, and what did that person do to make you feel that way? Did you act out this aggression? Why or why not? What did it take for the issue to be solved? If things weren't solved, how do you wish you could have gone about things instead?

9. What is the last thing that made you swear (or yell) out loud when it happened? Write is detail what happened. How did you feel about how you reacted minutes later?

10. When was a time that you felt angry about something out of your control? What thing was happening that you had no say about? How did you behave because of it? Were you able to come to terms with what happened? If so, how?

11. What is something your parents have done that makes you enraged to this day when you think about it? Write down what happened. How were things handled then? How are they handled now? In what ways do your parents still do things that get under your skin?

12. Can you think of a time when you angered someone and damaged your relationship beyond repair? What did you do, and how did that person respond? What would you have liked to do differently? Did you ever apologize? If not, what would you say?

13. When has something made you angry by taking something of yours without asking? Write in detail what happened. Was the object ever returned? Was it returned in the same condition?

14. When have you overreacted in a negative situation and had people around you look your way as if there was something wrong with you? Describe what happened. What was it that was aggravating you? How did other people react when watching you? Do you wish you would have handled things differently?

15. Can you remember when someone told you a lie, and it infuriated you when you learned the truth? What lie were you told and by who? What feelings surfaced for you when you realized you were lied to? How do you feel today about what happened then?

Present

1. What is something someone in your family does that makes you angry? Who is this person, and why does it bother you so much that this happens?

2. What thing do you deal with on a daily basis that has the ability to frustrate or anger you? In what ways do you cope with it currently? In what ways can you permanently solve the issue?

3. Are there any people in your life you wouldn't want to make angry? What do you think those people would do or say? What consequences would you face? What are the things you avoid saying or doing in order to keep the peace?

4. Think of the most important person or people in your life, and list the top three ways each person makes you angry. What would happen if you brought these things up, or have you already done so? Are these issues that can be solved? Are there things you do that upset this person or these people in the same way? What are they?

5. Imagine that you can say the things you need to say to people without repercussions. You can be as loud and as nasty even as you need to be, and you will be heard. Who do you approach first? What do you say? Who do you encounter next? What do you say? Write out everything that comes to mind. How do you feel afterward?

6. Is there an object, an item of memorabilia like a sports trophy or perhaps a framed picture, that has bad memories attached to it? Where do these feelings of anger come from? What happened to make you feel this way? Do you wish you could destroy this item? In what ways do you think that would make you feel better? In what ways would you feel worse?

7. Do you tend to go to sleep angry? What kind of things stay on your mind and plague you right before bed? Is there a way you can deal with those issues throughout the day or before settling down in your room?

8. If you look around the place that you're currently writing, what three things can you think of that evoke a response of anger? Describe what these things are and how they make you feel. How do you feel after writing your feelings down?

9. What main three things from your past keep haunting you and make you angry when you think about them? Write down why you're so hurt and frustrated by what occurred. Do you feel at fault? Was someone else at fault? Could things have been done differently?

10. Is there something unfair that you feel you're made to do currently? Why is it unfair for you to have to do this thing? If you weren't doing it, who would? Do you feel as if you're being taken advantage of or that other people aren't being given the same responsibility? How would you like things to be instead?

11. Do you ever feel angered about someone who checked out of you life? Who was this person that made you feel abandoned or unwanted? What thing do you wish that person would have known about you before leaving? How does it feel to know that person will likely never know you now?

12. Think of things that anger you currently. Are you upset about those things specifically, or is there a deeper reason for why you are bothered by them? Does it have something to do with your past or your upbringing? Do you feel like you're lacking control or that you're being taken advantage of? What other negative feelings can you think of that surround your moments of feeling angry?

13. How does your anger affect the people around you? What kind of changes can you see in the people around you? Do they withdraw or become upset, too? Do you find that when you're angry, people want to distance themselves from you? How does it make you feel when you think about the ways your emotions impact others? Is there anything you'd like to change about the way you do things?

14. What is something about this current generation that angers you? In what ways would you like things to be different?

15. When you get angry, what are some of the things you do to help yourself calm down? List your methods of coping. In what ways, do these things help you? Are any people close to you able to help you relax? If so, in what way are they able to do this?