Connect to Your Anger Without Losing Control

Anger has a lot of energy, but what you use it for is up to you. Sharon Salzberg provides two practices to reflect on anger and transform it into self-compassion.

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Sharon Salzberg, renowned meditation teacher and bestselling author, recently sat down with Barry Boyce, Mindful’s Editor-in-Chief, for a Facebook Live event at the Mindful office to discuss how to transform anger into love. The following is an adaptation of their conversation.

Anger is such a prevalent feeling these days, and so many people are struggling with trying to understand where strength is, and where power lies.

And what about the things we’ve been taught to think of as weak or even foolish, like generosity or compassion?

We’re hearing more about compassion fatigue. And while many associate anger with power and strength, when we really look at it, compassion requires a whole lot more fortitude.

We have an ability to modulate and develop a different relationship to what’s happening to us—that’s actually the transformation that mindfulness makes room for.

One of the incredible things about mindfulness, and using the meditative or contemplative process to develop mindfulness, is that we are like our own laboratory. We get to see from within—like, is anger really that strong? What happens when we’re not feeling anger, but consumed by anger? What’s the consequence? What’s the…