Breaking down boiling points

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jovan Banks
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Stress can be caused by almost anything; it is a variable that varies by person and situation. Improperly managing those stress factors can lead to anger.

Dana Livsey, the Family Advocacy outreach manager of the 509th Medical Operations Squadron, looks to educate people on ways to better assess situations that lead to feelings of anger. She instructs the anger management course. During the course, Livsey teaches that anger is a habit and it is usually triggered by something unwanted or something the individual sees as unjust.

"We can't control what goes on in our lives, we can only control how it affects us," said Livsey. "You have to take control of the situation before it takes control of you."

To better assess these situations Livsey breaks them down with an "ABC worksheet." The worksheet is separated into three columns that break down each phase of conflict to help better understand why a person is angry and how they could make the situation better.

Senior Airman Dominica Fuller, an aviation resource management specialist of the 509th Operations Support Squadron, has attended two segments of the four-part course taught by Livsey.

"Typically, I get angry and say what's on my mind without thinking about the consequences," said Fuller. "The course has taught me to think before I say things out of anger and to understand why I get angry."

The classes are not like an open therapy session where individuals discuss the reasons why they are angry, but more a way of learning how to understand and control the outcome of situations while angry.

The 509th MDOS offers these courses quarterly. The next anger management course is scheduled to be held in June. For more information on how to obtain a seat at the upcoming course, call Dana Livsey at 660-975-4341.