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1. Andrew Simone on November 18th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

   A few times a month, if that. And to calm myself down I focus all my energy into being rational which often means removing myself from the situation until things simmer down.

   I can count the amount of times I have totally lost my shit on one hand.

2. Kelsey Parker on November 18th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

   I don’t get angry. Not in the way most people do, anyway. Getting angry requires a sense of entitlement that I don’t have. In fact, I’m fascinated by people who can really yell and make demands. I think I’d hire one to fight my phone bill if I could.

   My lack of entitlement makes for an excess of insecurity, though. And I have to calm myself down from that all the time. Usually takes the shape of a mantra like, “You matter.” I hear this is common in your twenties.

3. Deron Bauman on November 18th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

   I think I’m getting angry less often these days. I don’t know for sure. You’d have to ask Amy since she is around me all the time. There are some things it’s okay to be angry about, I think, so I try not to calm myself down and just feel what the reason for the anger is. There are definitely places where / when my anger has been so consuming as to become invisible. That kind of anger doesn’t really calm down; it requires a lot of counseling and therapy to be able to see it clearly enough that the roots of it can be recognized for what they are.

4. Kris on November 18th, 2008 at 8:02 pm

   Of course. I’m tired most of the time and surrounded by morons!

   Who wouldn’t get angry!

   [Kicks over desk and lamp, then slams the door.]

5. Dave Vogt on November 18th, 2008 at 9:53 pm

   more and more frequently as christmas approaches. Weekly at least, currently. I just sort of bottle it up until the end of the day and sleep it out. I try to treat each situation in my day independently of any others, so that one bad experience doesn’t spoil the rest of the day. I stay angry, but I don’t let it influence me.

6. Daryl Scroggins on November 19th, 2008 at 12:21 am

   I have a hard time answering this question because of the similarity between irritation and anger. I seem to live at the edge of irritation–it’s a kind of power source. At least I tend to see it that way, whereas others may see it as anger. But I feel bad and like a complete failure if somebody thinks I have been angry. I only feel good about being angry if it is directed at people who are angry at others in an abuse-of-power sort of way. And I, too, find myself getting less frequently angry the older I get. It’s like I’m pausing to watch what happens now, rather than assuming that I am a part of it. Anger, in the end, is the thought that a very short path will take you a long way, when the opposite is the truth. But sometimes the path to learning that is very long.

   I’m sure Cindy could fill you in on what the truth about me is.

7. India on November 19th, 2008 at 8:21 am

   Kind of like what Daryl said. I’m not sure if what I am all the time is irritated or angry, but whatever it is, I feel like my trigger finger has recently become very itchy. Probably something to do with dumb food choices, not enough sleep, and not enough downtime. I’ve been finding myself seething about a variety of things, both at school and at work, and it makes everything more difficult to deal with.

   I usually calm myself down by removing myself from the situation, where applicable (it rarely is, is it?), and by venting to my wonderfully patient friends. Walking around helps a lot, but I rarely get to do that. Sometimes trying to write down what I’m pissed about helps—the offense tends to sound stupid on paper, which makes it easier to let go of.

   Or, occasionally, I go the direct route and address the person (it’s nearly always a person) who is making me angry. Considering that that’s usually whoever employs me, the results have not been as bad as you might expect. But it’s never actually changed the offender’s behavior, as far as I can recall. It’s only made me feel slightly better.

8. Cindy Scroggins on November 19th, 2008 at 9:10 am

   Fuck all y’all.

9. Cindy Scroggins on November 19th, 2008 at 9:21 am

   Seriously, I almost never get angry. I get exasperated and frustrated, but I get angry maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

   That is, unless you count the anxiety surrounding the recent election as anger. In that case, I was in a constant state of anger for about 8 months.

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