The Anger Book - A Journal To Destroy by Elias Baar

For anyone who would like a guided workbook to help express their anger I recently found this book. I'm posting up as I'm finding it helpfully quite 'cathartic' (for want of a better word)...

It's called 'The Anger Book - A Journal To Destroy' by Elias Baar.

Here's someone's video about it that gives you an idea of what to expect if you fancy trying it (page down to the webpage to be able to see it):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C5P5K5V7?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I'm currently working my way through the first third of the book.

At the beginning of the book you are given prompts for you to write a response regarding your anger and then it advises you to destroy what you write. (I am writing my responses in a separate notebook and then destroying the page on which I've written my response, so that I can keep and re-use the prompts if I so wish.)

The middle section has some thoughts and advice about fear and other feelings.

And at the end you are given written prompts again, and this time the advice is to keep your responses as they are uplifting prompts.

 

@BloodMoon, Do you think this book surpasses just making a list of incidents that have angered you and writing about them? I’m glad to get this review. I was curious about this book.

 

I would say that it doesn't surpass making a list of incidents that have angered you and writing about them, but I would also say that it gives you another way in to look at and discover your anger and other feelings.

The book's prompts have got me thinking back to incidents that not only angered me but caused me other feelings too (and sometimes there's no anger but other feelings instead), stuff that my lizard brain hadn't allowed me to write about before. So, for me personally, it's so far been eye opening. I think that's because it's like a therapist is asking the questions; the enquiry comes at you from a different angle, so to speak, than if you were to make up your own questions and inquiry.

What I like is that you can just write down the first thing that comes into your head and it can be short, you don't need to write reams of stuff. And you can use the same prompt at a later time (that is, if you don't write in the book but write your responses in a notebook; I just use backs of old used envelopes and then shred them)... On another day the same prompt is likely to bring up something else, something different (that's what I'm finding, anyway).

I guess one of the things I like about it is that it's another 'baby steps' approach... 5 to 15 minutes and you can be done for the day.

I should add though that the book isn't geared specifically to people suffering from mind/body pain and other symptoms.

Below are some of the prompts in the first third of the book, to give you a flavour, and so that you could try them and just see what you think.

"The apology I would like to receive:"

"What's something you wish you had said?"

"What is your anger trying to protect?"

"Something I can't say out loud:"

"A feeling that I'll never forget:"

"What or who do you need to let go of? Why?"

The middle section has supportive stuff like...

"some days you'll wake up and not even have the energy to get out of bed, and some days you'll wake up and wonder why you ever thought that it would never get better. that's the process of healing. it's not a linear line. you will experience ups and downs, but you will make it through."

and

"maybe situations don't get better, but you get better. you get stronger. everything that hasn't worked out for you so far has ultimately made you better in the end. even if it sucks in the moment, remember that what feels like it's not going well for you may turn out much more in your favour than you think."

With the final section these are some examples of the prompts that you're instructed to keep, not destroy (unlike the prompts in the first third of the book):

"reflect on a time when you expressed your anger in a way you now regret. what would you have done differently?"

"who are you when you feel your best?"

"what are you still trying to prove to yourself?"

"you've made it through every bad day so far. you can make it through this. what is hard on you right now?"

 

Oooh! This looks great! I’m sold! Thanks for all this info! And I do like the 5-15 minutes per day approach.