Kaito kicked the wall. The sound echoed through the room.
"Kaito!" Hiyori was surprised.
Kaito took a deep breath. "Sorry. I did it again."
Sora was calmly observing. "Did you feel anything before the explosion?"
"Nothing. It comes suddenly," Kaito answered.
Leo came in. "That's what most people think. But anger has stages."
"Most people think that. But anger has stages," Sora translated.
Hiyori urged him to sit. "Shall we talk about anger escalation?"
Kaito reluctantly sat down.
Sora opened a notebook. "Anger feels like it appears suddenly, but there are actually warning signs."
"Warning signs?"
"Warning signals. Physical, emotional, and cognitive changes."
Leo drew a diagram. "Anger escalation ladder. From calm to explosion."
"Anger ladder. From calm to explosion."
Hiyori explained, "The first stage is mild irritation. Small things bother you."
Kaito thought. "Earlier, I couldn't find my pen and got a bit irritated."
"That's it," Sora pointed out. "Stage one."
"But isn't that normal?"
"It's normal," Hiyori acknowledged. "The problem is progressing to the next stage without recognizing it."
Leo continued. "Second stage. Physical tension. Faster heartbeat, shallow breathing."
"Second stage. Physical tension. Faster heartbeat, shallow breathing."
Kaito realized. "Come to think of it, my heart was racing."
"That's a physical warning sign," Sora explained.
Hiyori added, "Stage three is cognitive change. Extreme thoughts like 'it's always like this' or 'unforgivable.'"
"Ah..." Kaito admitted. "I thought 'not again.'"
"Cognitive distortion," Sora said. "Generalizing one event to everything."
Leo supplemented. "Cognitive distortions amplify anger. All-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization."
"Cognitive distortions amplify anger. All-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization."
Kaito asked, "And then, explosion?"
"At stage four, you act," Hiyori answered. "Yelling, hitting things, becoming aggressive."
Kaito held his head. "I go through this every time."
"If you know, you can change," Sora encouraged.
"How?"
Hiyori gently explained, "First, notice at stage one. Recognize irritation."
"That's impossible," Kaito said.
Leo countered. "Not impossible. Needs practice. Self-monitoring."
"Not impossible. Needs practice. Self-monitoring."
Sora suggested, "Try using an emotion thermometer."
"Thermometer?"
"A scale from 0 to 10. 0 is completely calm, 10 is explosion. Always be aware of your current level."
Kaito thought. "Now... about 5?"
"Good," Hiyori acknowledged. "At 5, you can still cope."
"How do I cope?"
Sora explained, "If you notice at stage one or two, interrupt."
"Interrupt?"
"Leave the situation. Take deep breaths. Drink water."
Leo supplemented. "Physiological intervention. Change body state to change emotional state."
"Physiological intervention. Change body state to change emotional state."
Kaito tried. Three deep breaths.
"How is it?" Hiyori asked.
"I feel a bit calmer."
"That's it," Sora said. "Descend before escalating."
Hiyori added, "If you notice stage three, cognitive change, ask yourself questions."
"Questions?"
"'Is it really always like this?' 'Is it really unforgivable?'"
Kaito thought. "True, it's not always. A missing pen is not a big deal."
"Cognitive correction," Sora explained. "Changing extreme thoughts to realistic ones."
Leo said. "Anger often masks other emotions. Fear, hurt, frustration."
"Anger often masks other emotions. Fear, hurt, frustration."
Kaito realized. "Now that you mention it, I was anxious about the upcoming exam."
"Anxiety might have converted to irritation," Hiyori pointed out.
Sora nodded. "Noticing the underlying emotion is also important."
Kaito exhaled deeply. "Anger is complex."
"But understanding it means you can control it," Hiyori smiled.
Leo suggested. "Keep anger journal. Track triggers, body signals, thoughts."
"Keep an anger journal. Track triggers, body signals, thoughts."
Kaito nodded. "I'll try."
Sora said, "There are always warning signs before explosion. Practice noticing them."
Hiyori added, "And be kind to yourself. Even if you're not perfect, just noticing is progress."
Kaito laughed a little. "Today, I noticed. One step forward."
"A big step," Hiyori acknowledged.
A calm atmosphere returned to the room. The anger might not have disappeared. But it was understood. That was the first step to change.