Coping with the "I want to knock your lights out" feeling.

[Nick]

Even the most gentle people can be pushed over the edge, get annoyed and frustrated to the point where they just can't take it anymore and attack. When you're reaching that point, what do you do with the "I want to knock your lights out" feeling that you're starting to get when someone is aggravating you to such a degree that it's hard to control yourself and not attack them? Or do you just go in for the kill?

 

[-Jared-]

I am pretty much that super gentle person that most people can't imagine me getting that angry. But oh, can I get angry. >__>

So when I do, I typically hold it in long enough for me to get out of the situation, so that I can calmly evaluate the situation later. If I react immediately, I am going to be rash and most likely make a decision I will regret later. So if I wait, I can make a more rational decision. Granted, I haven't been in to many situations like that, so I can't say for certain what I would actually do.

The only time I was ever really pushed to that edge was when I was in seventh grade, my younger brother had just started kindergarten, and it was the first day of school. Some other kindergartener had punched my brother in the stomach for no reason, so I ran right over. I WANTED to smack him upside the head, but all I did was grab him by the arm and ask him why he did that. He punched me in the mouth as a result. >__> So yeah. I learned to take a step back from things from that. xD

 

[Overlord Drakow]

It generally takes a LOT to unleash the Overlord's Wrath. I'm like one of those chemical elements which requires a lot of energy to react but when that point has been reached, all hell breaks loose. Despite my usual energetic behaviour (which might suggest to some that I can't control myself very well) I am fairly calm when it comes to dealing with a situation.

I've gotten into a few school fights back in the day but it was never out of a fit of uncontrolled fury. I did lose control sometimes but I never felt really angry or enraged. It's weird I can't really explain it any clearly than that. Sometimes my body just moves without my intention and things happen but I stress the point that I did not feel angry at all.

Sometimes I bite my skin really hard. I've smacked a wall with the back of my fist too. The basic concept is using pain to calm yourself down. I don't know why it works but it does, at least for me. Rarely will I just shout or scream. I try to avoid confrontations but if someone really REALLY provokes me which has happened in the past, I will not back down and I will fight.

 

[Oryx]

I think the solution that works well for me is to distract myself for a few hours, and not immediately respond to whatever annoyed me to that point. Luckily for me I'm not often in situations where it requires an immediate response. But once I get distracted and am less angry about it, I can look back on it and just think "why was this such a big deal to me?" Generally I'm the type of person who, once I'm calmed down, am willing to swallow my pride for whatever reason but I'm not a pretty person when I'm angry and I'll always say things that I regret if I choose to react immediately because I won't want to give in on anything.

 

[Shiny Celebi]

If I happen to feel really angry at someone online or off, I remove myself from the situation and distract myself. Im usually fine after that unless the person does the same thing again, which doesnt usually happen, if it does, I simply ignore them if possible.

 

[marcc5m]

This happened earlier on FB. So hopefully I've calmed down by tomorrow at school >_>
In other words I wait and try to calm down.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

A common story that I tell people is that for a long time, I had absolutely no idea how to punch someone. I always assumed that one's fingers went around one's thumb when making a fist (instead of having the thumb on the outside of said fist), but then people kept telling me it was good that I never needed to punch someone, as I'd break my hand in the process! That's essentially my long-winded way of never really having the "I want to knock your lights out" feeling described in the title. Have I gotten angry? Sure. Reeeeeeeeally angry? You bet. But I let my anger out verbally, that is if I'm not bottling it up for release when no one is around.

 

[Shining Raichu]

I don't like confrontation at all, as much as I'd love to participate in it, I just get too nervous and back away. So when I get really angry, I hold it in and shut down and pretend I don't even hear the person who is making me angry. Then when they finally go away, I start to have this internal monologue (which I sometimes let out verbally, by myself) of all the things I wish I had the guts to say. It really helps, makes me feel better and like I've been able to get my point across, even if there's nobody there.

Because in these fights, I'm always right... I just don't have the guts to let people know why they're wrong.

 

[PlatinumDude]

As Shining Raichu said, I don't like confronting other people. When I find myself in an unfavorable situation, I try to calm myself down as best as I can by walking around, but when I just can't take it anymore, I tend to punch something or yell at someone.

 

[Persona]

i dont cope with it. actually, i want to slap you all in the face.

esp the thread creator

 

[lacella]

it takes quite a bit for this to happen, but when it does, i have a really bad habit of going in for the kill.

and not screaming crap. i actually aim to emotionally hurt/humiliate/belittle the other person and prove them wrong at every turn. biatch mode is not pretty, so i really do try to work on my temper.

i'd never get physical though. i'm 5'3". i know how to pick my fights. LOL.

 

[Trance and Moss]

Whenever I go to punch someone I hear Prof. Oak saying "Trance and Moss, there is a time and place for everything, but not this, and not here!"

 

[Kikaito plush]

I'm not very good at beating this feeling Once someone was hitting my sister I was so angry I put the person in the bin I am getting better at keeping it together at these times.

 

[Taemin]

I've never been that upset with someone before when I'm actually around them, I'm usually with others or on my own and I have time to cool down via venting. After I chill out, I do tend to peg the source of it, and normally tell the person that it bothered me. So, I guess I just talk it out if it's important enough. Though, if it's something that I shouldn't even let bother me, I tend to just talk myself out of it and that's that.

 

[Rogue planet]

I never have this feeling. Last time I hit someone before they hit me I was about 12 years old.

I've just gotten used to the fact that a lot of people are either very annoying or very stupid, I've come to expect it to the point where it doesn't even bother me any more. I don't think I would ever get to the point of using violence for anything other than defence. I haven't even had to do that recently anyway, because I just don't get myself in these situations.

The only people that can actually make me angry are close friends, just because I expect better from them.

 

[Jarred0809]

It generally takes a LOT to unleash the Overlord's Wrath. I'm like one of those chemical elements which requires a lot of energy to react but when that point has been reached, all hell breaks loose. Despite my usual energetic behaviour (which might suggest to some that I can't control myself very well) I am fairly calm when it comes to dealing with a situation.

I've gotten into a few school fights back in the day but it was never out of a fit of uncontrolled fury. I did lose control sometimes but I never felt really angry or enraged. It's weird I can't really explain it any clearly than that. Sometimes my body just moves without my intention and things happen but I stress the point that I did not feel angry at all.

Sometimes I bite my skin really hard. I've smacked a wall with the back of my fist too. The basic concept is using pain to calm yourself down. I don't know why it works but it does, at least for me. Rarely will I just shout or scream. I try to avoid confrontations but if someone really REALLY provokes me which has happened in the past, I will not back down and I will fight.

I'm like this too. When I'm mad, you wouldn't be able to tell until I'm about to start to freak out. I also use pain to calm myself down.

 

[Chikara]

I get really quiet when people start annoying me. I don't ever really show it, other than making my disinterest in speaking at that moment overly apparent.

 

[Know-Nothing Bozo the Non-Wonder Dog]

Well, at the time, I try to deal with it the best I can. Meaning I'll give the person some very dirty looks, and not be very polite to them. But besides that, I won't really do anything. Then, I'll get home and be cranky to everyone, and drink some coffee, watch TV, and forget about it. Until nighttime that is, and then I think about it all night and can't sleep cause I'm so mad at them.

But I never actually get myself into a physical fight. I know I'd lose, and I'm pain intolerant. xD

 

[Halcyon]

I tend to keep those feelings to myself. Since I hate confrontations, I'd just play the attacking part a few times in my head to calm myself down. Then I'd probably forget about it a few days later. :D

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

The only thing that keeps me from getting violent is the threat of jail time. But I definitely am not good at holding it in. I'll start screaming matches, I'll make body motions as if I'm about to attack, and I'll make threats of bodily harm. Of course, there's the whole "my parents are well aware that my bum knees are my Achilles' heel so they'll strike there to end my attack painfully" factor, so that's another thing that keeps me from getting into physical combat with them.

And for the record, 99.9% of the time I get super angry at someone, it's a member of the family.