"Our phone service was shut off because my partner forgot to take his ADD/ADHD medication and didn’t pay the bill. I started to lash out at him. How can I keep this from happening?"
by Melissa Orlov
It’s unrealistic to think you won’t get angry with your partner -- or he with you. It happens. The key is to respond to your anger in more productive ways. Try the following four steps:
1. Acknowledge that you don’t feel angry most of the time -- and put his recent misstep into perspective by recalling all the good things he has done.
2. Address the issue that made you angry: Get your phone service restored and take over paying the bills yourself.
3. After you’ve calmed down, tell your partner -- nicely -- why you were angry. Be sure that he agrees beforehand to discuss this, and focus the conversation on the cause of your anger, not on him.
4. Forgive yourself for becoming angry, and forgive him his lapse.
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