Smoky River Adult Learning (SRAL) will be hosting a workshop to help people learn to address and deal with anger as it surfaces.
SRAL assistant coordinator Veronik Zawacki says they’re thrilled to introduce the Anger Management Workshop April 14 starting at 1 p.m. She explains emotions play a powerful role in everyone’s life and those emotions can affect relationships, mental and physical well-being, and even one’s ability to learn.
“When we are overwhelmed by anger or stress, our nervous system goes into a heightened state, and our capacity to think clearly, make good decisions, and absorb new information is reduced,” explains Zawacki.
“For many of us, healthy emotional coping skills were never modeled or taught,” she adds. “Many people were told to toughen up, ignore their feelings, or push them aside.
“Boys were often given more permission to express anger outwardly, while girls were encouraged to stay polite and composed.”
Zawacki adds emotional intelligence only began gaining wider recognition in the early 1990s, and before that, emotions were often minimized or suppressed.
“Most of us learned what our parents knew and they were often doing their best without having the tools themselves,” she says.
“This workshop is important because emotions do not disappear when we suppress them. They show up in our reactions, our relationships, and sometimes in harmful ways. Learning how to understand and regulate anger in healthy ways is essential for personal growth, safety, and stronger communities.”
Zawacki will be facilitating the workshop. She has vast professional training and a strong understanding of emotional regulation and the nervous system. She says she chose to accept the role because she is passionate about creating a safe, respectful, and supportive space where people can explore emotions without judgement.
“In adult learning, we understand that emotional regulation directly impacts learning,” Zawacki says.
“By offering this program, we are supporting our learners beyond academics. When individuals are better regulated and more self-aware, they can show up more fully in class, at work, and in their families.”
Zawacki says emotional wellness supports lifelong learning. She adds the program will go beyond managing anger, it will also focus on understanding it. By taking the course, participants will gain a clearer understanding of what anger really is, learn the difference between anger, stress, and distress, identify personal triggers and early warning signs, recognize how anger shows up in their body and thoughts, learn how to organize their thoughts before reacting, practice strategies to pause and pursue a more positive approach, and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
“We will also explore how to deal with conflict in constructive ways and why it is OK to feel angry because anger itself is not wrong,” says Zawacki.
Zawacki adds other topics will include the importance of safety: don’t hurt yourself, don’t hurt others, and don’t damage property, types of abuse (emotional, verbal, physical, psychological), unhealthy cycles and behaviour patterns, and the difference between assertive communication and aggressive behaviour.
In the workshop, the focus is on awareness, accountability, and building healthier responses, not blame or shame.
The course will run between four to six weeks to allow participants time to practice skills and build lasting change. Each session will be one hour. The April 14 session will be an introductory workshop to allow participants to learn about what will be discussed, to ask questions, and help them decide if they would like to commit to a deeper learning experience.
“In my opinion, everyone can benefit (from taking this workshop),” concludes Zawacki.
“Very few people were taught healthy ways to navigate anger and conflict. This workshop is for anyone who wants to better understand themselves, improve their relationships, and build stronger emotional skills.”
Zawacki says participants will leave with an increased self-awareness, practical tools for emotional regulation, skills to manage conflict more effectively, greater understanding of unhealthy patterns, and confidence in choosing intentional responses instead of reacting automatically.
“You have to recognize when anger is rising and that takes practice, intention, and honesty with yourself,” she says.
“Anger usually gives signals first, tight shoulders, clenched jaw, racing thoughts, irritability, a change in breathing. When you can recognize those early warning signs, you create space between the feeling and the reaction. And that space is powerful.”
The workshop is free to attend. To register, please phone (780) 837-4064.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter