It really is okay to feel your anger.
Denying your anger or repressing it is the worst thing you can do.
Most feelings have one-word labels.
But those simple labels represent a multidimensional set of experiences:

1. Behavioral - in our actions and communications (both verbal and non-verbal)
2. Emotional - mood states like sadness, fear, rage, joy ...
   at whatever intensity
3. Mental - those thoughts, words and phrases that go through our heads
4. Physical - in the body, e.
   g.
   , butterflies in the stomach, headache, dizziness, clenched fists, shortness of breath, etc.
   

The following activity can be helpful in getting in touch with the totality of how you experience anger...
Experiencing Anger Activity Step #1: Remember a time when someone or something made you angry ...
or your own word for disgruntled.
Step #2: Describe your symptoms - behavioral, emotional, mental, and physical - in words or phrases:

Behavioral: Emotional: Mental: Physical:

Are you surprised to discover all that's entailed whenever you experience anger (or your substitute word)? The more aware you are of that experience, the more you will be able to manage it.
Violating the 2nd Rule by Stuffing Anger Instead of experiencing your anger, are you stuffing it? Stuffers can deny anger.
They may not admit (to themselves or others) that they're angry.
They may not be aware that they have the right to be angry.
Stuffing may not seem to have a direct or immediate negative effect, but the longer term consequences can be quite serious.
Eventually, there will be some form of explosion at others or implosion (e.
g.
, heart attack, stroke or depression).
Some reasons we stuff are:

1. Fear of hurting/offending someone
2. Fear of being disliked or rejected
3. Fear of losing control
4. Feeling it's inappropriate
5. It's a learned behavior (e.
   g.
   , that's how our parents dealt with anger)

What about you - why do you stuff your anger? See our other articles on Anger Management to learn about the four other rules and about the other way many people violate those rules (by escalating their anger).