Ah, communication. That magical word that’s supposed to fix everything. Yet, somehow, it’s the very thing that makes us want to tear our hair out when we’re arguing about who left the wet towel on the floor… again. Add recovery from addiction into the mix, and suddenly that wet towel represents everything wrong in the universe. Good times, right?

This bonus workbook complements Tuesday’s post on how to manage triggers when you’re feeling angry. It has easy-to-use exercise and optional deeper dive exercises for those that want to take a look at self-doubt and obstacles.

Anger is one of those emotions that can hit like a freight train. It can barrel towards you fast and overwhelmingly. For those in addiction recovery—and for the people who love them—anger can be more than just a bad mood. It can be a trigger, a dangerous pull toward old coping mechanisms that promise relief but come with a cost.

What do you do when anger flares up? How do you keep it from dragging you down a path you’ve worked so hard to leave behind? That’s what we’re talking about today: real, practical ways to manage anger and its triggers, whether you're in recovery or supporting someone who is.

This may be a hard pill to swallow…no one can make us feel anything.

Ever had someone ignore your kindness when you held the door open for them, and suddenly, your blood pressure is through the roof? Or maybe your boss gave you that “Are you serious?” look during a meeting, and you spent the rest of the day convinced you’re one typo away from unemployment.

We’ve all been there, convinced that other people’s actions made us mad, sad, or just plain bananas. But, and This may be a hard pill to swallow…no one can make us feel anything. Not even that jerk who didn’t say, “Thank you.” (Yeah, I know. I don’t like it either.)

This workbook supports you on your healing journey from betrayal trauma. Healing takes time, and you don’t have to go through it alone. I encourage you to work with a counselor for additional support as you navigate this process. This workbook will help you apply the tips from my blog post, Relational Trauma: Healing Tips, to real-life situations. Be gentle with yourself, and remember—every step forward is progress. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

So, you’ve been through the wringer—relational trauma, betrayal, addiction, and the emotional equivalent of walking barefoot on broken glass while swallowing fire. Healing isn’t just a straight path; it’s a zigzag of breakthroughs, setbacks, and the occasional “WHAT THE F IS HAPPENING?” moment.

Let’s walk through the key healing tasks—minus the sugarcoating but with a bit of humor to keep us sane. This is the first in the series.

And no, I’m not done with my addiction trigger series, I just wanted to break things up a bit since I’ve been on both side of the addiction coin: the addict and the loved one of an addict.

Let’s continue to talk about triggers. No, not the kind that set off alarm bells—though some days, urges and stress can feel just as explosive. I mean the sneaky dudes that can send you down a rabbit hole of old habits. (Here are the first , second, third and fourth posts in my series about triggers.)  

The good news? You’ve got a secret weapon in your arsenal: self-care. I mean the real, nitty-gritty self-care that helps keep your mind and body in check, so you can stay ahead of your triggers instead of scrambling after they hit.