#35 Men and Anger

This episode addresses an issue that many women deal with in their marriages and I want to give you some insight and strategies on what to do with issues relating to men and anger. One thing to keep in mind: this isn't in the context of abuse, men and anger and abuse or domestic violence. That's a different topic and discussion. I'm speaking to the couple who is in a healthy relationship, but experiences some tension around the emotion of anger, and who is wondering what to do with that tension.  My main questions in addressing this topic are: 1. What is healthy anger, and what constitutes anger issues? 2. Is it okay for men to be angry? And if so, what does that look like?  3. How can we reframe anger as a valid human emotion versus a character flaw? 4. When is Anger useful? And when is it not useful? 5. How can I deal with an angry husband? What strategies will help me when I'm uncomfortable with my husband's anger? Anger has such a negative reputation compared to other emotions. Perhaps the lack of respect for it as a valid human emotion comes from some cultural or religious reasons, and of course how it can devolve into violence. But more and more, psychologists are giving anger its due respect as a valid emotion to pay attention to, since its valuable qualities include pointing out when we are out of alignment with our values, and how it motivates and energizes us to solve problems.  Anger holds important information about how to love each other better.  This is about learning how to problem solve together if you are uncomfortable with the emotion of anger and how your husband expresses it. Being upset is part of the human experience. Now what? Listen in this week to learn how to set boundaries and process anger, and show up in an intentional way. I share why people-pleasing and walking on eggshells isn't the answer. Men experience anger differently than women, in general. It's true. But we don't have to fix men and anger. Instead, we get to decide how we want to show up.