With millions of American facing the mounting pressures of personal debt, I thought it would be a good idea to explore the emotion of ANGER. I am not talking about a isolated outburst, but more about how this emotion becomes a predominant behavior attribute for those experiencing heavy debt. More succinctly, it is the ability for these two conditions to "co-exist" which make it highly toxic for those trying to break free of debt's vise grip.

I watched an interesting movie the other day called "The Upside of Anger". It was about an alcoholic mother of four (played by Joan Allen) who comes to discover one day that her husband has left her for another woman, which propels her further down the bottle while sharing her devastation with the next door former baseball star (now local detroit radio jock) Denny, played by Kevin Costner. Soon they end up sleeping together but the story is really about the relationship dynamics between the mother, played brilliantly by Joan Allen, her daughters, and Kevin Costner's harmless, ex-jock, drinking buddy character as he inserts himself into the void left by the philandering husband.

What struck me was how convincingly Joan Allen was able to pull of the image of a woman on the edge of losing her mind, the incredible ANGER she felt towards her husband, and the sheer frustration felt because there was no way to extricate herself from feeling it.

This portrayal of deep hidden fury struck me to be equal in energy to the anger one feels when experiencing financial hardship. When in the midst of it, there is nothing you can do about it, and it just never seems to get any better, at least not right away. Of course, that hopelessness one feels during this low point helps perpetuate the exact conditions leading to an increased level of anger which is why i view Debt & Anger as familiar bedfellows, rather than like oil and vinegar.

One must be very careful about letting these two conditions feed each other because they can potentially invite in a third party called Depression. For now, here are a few tips to help you suppress the strength of these negative emotions, how to 'de-link' these behaviors so that you can break the downward spiral and get back on the trail of fixing the problem.

1. Whatever caused the indebtedness problem, GET AWAY FROM IT. The damage is done, you cannot undo it but you can recognize ways not to repeat it. If that means cutting up your credit cards or eliminating eating out, then you must take this step.

2. Look towards the future. After a harrowing experience, many seek comfort in the fact that there is always tomorrow and that the sun will rise again the next day. It is this next day that you must take SMALL building block steps to correct your problems. Example, if you're been getting out of bed at 11, set a goal to get up at 10:45. Eventually work your way down to a more normal a.m. time so that you can experience more productivity throughout the day.

3. Break the 'Anger spiral' by doing something physical or by changing your routine. This will help you get away from the things that remind you of where you are...go for a walk, a bike ride, something that keeps your mind off of your situation.

4. Start producing something positive financially. This means, either save 50 extra cents by looking at where you can cut expenses or find ways to become more educated/marketable so that you can seek more competitive wages.

5. Breathe - You are in the situation that you are in. Don't let the FEAR dictate your life. Relax your mind and refocus back to the small positive steps you are taking when your mind starts to wander towards negative thoughts.

For those experiencing such a condition, these 5 simple steps will help you get back onto better emotional ground. No, this will not extricate you from the problem but it will put you in much better shape to start constructing your path towards financial responsibility and will help you better face those things that you must do tomorrow to make your life better than it is today.