Are You Entering the Anger Danger Zone?

You began the conversation with altruistic intentions. The intensity and staccato of your voices signal that you and your partner are approaching a full-blown argument. You don’t want to fling insults and accusations. You just need a time out.

What can you do?

The next time your conversation enters the danger zone—the point where an argument is near—request a time out. For added levity, assign a playful codeword to this break like, “hamburger.” Whatever you do, don’t storm out or abandon your conversation. Requesting a time out is a cue that you love your partner enough to cool down so your anger does not irreparably damage the relationship.

Unfortunately, anger rears its ugly head in every relationship. It is one of those glitches in human nature, borne out of frustration, defensiveness and guilt.

But it can be controlled. This discipline, like any form of discipline, requires work on the part of both partners; and, using anger control strategies (such as the above), couples can develop healthy confrontation skills. And if couples need a bit of assistance in controlling anger in their relationships, a bit of guidance in the form of relationship coaching does wonders.

The key is not to let your anger control you, but, through the use of relationship developmental tools, to be in control of your anger. Difficult and confrontational conversations will always exist in a relationship, but anger, yelling and resentment can be eradicated.
© 2010 The Relationship Suite. Rachel Moheban, LCSW After many years of providing private couples counseling, she discovered in addition to the already great results this method was providing, that couples benefited even more from using a variety of resources especially the effective combination of psycho-education, pro-active skills and adaptable techniques. These approaches COMBINED are able to create the success formula needed to make fast and immediate changes in relationships. This is why she designed and developed a couples program using the full ins and outs of this intricate formula; "The Relationship Breakthrough Bootcamp." This article is for your general information only. You are welcome to share this tip with your community but please make sure to include the following author info:

© 2010 The Relationship Suite. Rachel Moheban, LCSW After many years of providing private couples counseling, I discovered in addition to the already great results this method was providing, that couples benefited even more from using a variety of resources especially the effective combination of psycho-education, pro-active skills and adaptable techniques. These approaches COMBINED are able to create the success formula needed to make fast and immediate changes in relationships. To learn more, and receive our FREE BiWeekly Relationship Tips and access to the Relationship Breakthrough Monthly Teleclass visit http://www.therelationshipsuite.com.