Lighten up
Sulkowicz offers some additional advice for handling workplace rage: Don't always take your job so seriously.

"Step back and realize that the stakes are not nearly so high as you might believe they are," he says. Then pick your battles carefully. Bottom line, whether your trouble is with a boss, co-worker or client, it's important to deal with desk rage rather than endure it.

"It's ultimately self-destructive," says Sulkowicz. "While others do and can get hurt, one of the things that is guaranteed is that the person experiencing the rage ends up losing." The potential damage: embarrassment, misery, guilt, even losing your job.

Tribble and her partner, Linda Libby, learned their lesson. Not only were the two of them frazzled by the fighting, other employees in the company were feeling the effects. "It’s the same feeling a kid has when his parents are arguing," says Tribble. "There's a sense of vulnerability. Will they stay together?"

So a couple of years ago, they sought help from Maravelas, who, through her workshop titled "Self-Defeating Habits of Otherwise Brilliant People," taught them a few workplace ground rules. No. 1: the Golden Rule.

They also learned how to have constructive disagreements and manage their anger. And they make time to talk on a regular basis so the lines of communication stay open.

Still, there are occasional setbacks.

"We sometimes fall back into our old ways," says Libby. "But if we slip we at least know what to do to get ourselves on track."

Of course, those solutions don't always come easy, and some of the toughest situations to resolve are those with a superior, particularly an overbearing one, says John Weaver, a psychologist and corporate consultant in Waukesha, Wis.

"If it’s a co-worker, there’s a sense of equal power," he explains. "But when it’s with a supervisor the power differential makes it harder to deal with." The underling, whether right or wrong, can feel like a victim and react with rage.

Tough as it may be, the best approach generally is to try to have a reasonable conversation with your boss about your concerns and to come prepared with some solutions, he says.

However, some bosses simply may not be reasoned with, says Weaver, who cautions that sometimes it can be "career suicide" to go up against certain bosses.

Tyrants and micromanagers are the worst offenders, he says. In those situations, carefully choose your words ("I'd love to do a bang-up job on this project, like we did with Client A, but we're so squeezed for time right now. So I'd really love your guidance on how to proceed ...") and be prepared to consult with another manager or human resources if your talks deteriorate. Sometimes the solution is to find a new boss.