Clarity On Fire

If you’d told me (Kristen) ten years ago that I’d be doing in infomercial FOR anger — as in, fully in support of and happily endorsing the expression of anger — I would’ve said you clearly have the wrong person. You see, as a lifelong people pleaser with a huge aversion to conflict of all kind, I prided myself on rarely (if ever) getting angry. I’m embarrassed to admit I even got on my high horse about it, and I’d judge people who would (gasp) express their anger outwardly. Clearly they were just less evolved than me. Yikes. How very wrong I was. I did feel anger (because I am, you know, human), but because I was so uncomfortable expressing it, it would leak out in gross, unhealthy ways (in my case, obnoxious passive aggressiveness). So over the years, I’ve changed my tune. I still don’t love anger — mine, or anyone else’s — but I clearly see its value and have learned healthy ways to express it. In this month’s brand-new Side Chat, we’re making a case for why it’s OK (necessary, even!) to feel angry, along w