Anger Diary

Anger has a way of sneaking up and taking control of our thoughts and actions before we realise what’s happening. Fortunately, with practice, you can get better at catching your anger long before it takes over. Keeping an Anger Diary will help you achieve that goal.

Instructions

Either at the end of the day, or a few hours after your anger has passed, take a moment to reflect on a situation where you felt angry, or even just a bit frustrated. By following the example below, write a few notes about the event. Write about as many events as you feel you need to, then try the review exercise.

Example

Trigger: My sister tracked mud all over the my room and didn’t even notice.

Warning Signs: Before I got really angry, I noticed my hands were shaking and I was argumentative. Then when I got angrier, my face felt really hot.

Anger Response: I screamed at my sister. I wanted to throw something but I didn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking about how selfish she is.

Outcome: My sister got really angry too and we argued. I ended up feeling really guilty and sad.

Your Turn

Write down some thoughts under the headings below. You can print off this page, write them in a notebook or just think about them in your head.

Trigger:

Warning Signs:

Anger Response:

Outcome:

Review

Now you have thought about some different events which made you angry. Think about the two questions below and see if you can write some answers to them.

Do you notice any patterns related to your anger?

Generally, how would you like to react differently?