Embracing Authenticity: How This Forbidden Emotion Can Set Women Free
I didn’t realize I was losing touch with myself.
When I was a child, if I hurt myself, my parents tried to fix whatever was hurt and assured me I would be fine.
When I was happy, they mirrored that emotion. They were happy, too, and we all got along great.
But when I was angry?
That was a different thing.
If I showed anger, I was typically punished. My parents sent me to my room or removed my privileges. And that was just for a little anger. No child in my family dared talk back or slam a door.
As a result, I — like many of my women friends — grew up learning to repress my anger. And that ended up harming my ability to reach my goals in life.
What is anger?
What I’m talking about here is expressing angry emotions. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines anger as:
“…an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.”
They go on to say that anger can be caused by external or internal events. You may be angry at the driver who cut you off in traffic, for instance (external anger). Or you…
