Coping With Anger Management Issues: Steps And Strategies

Anger is an emotion that many humans experience in response to life’s discomforts. When anger tends to become unmanageable, it can produce adverse impacts on your life and physical/mental health. Learning effective ways to manage anger can be crucial in mitigating impulsive reactions, while also building meaningful connections with both yourself and others. This article explores the nature and causes of anger, while also demonstrating practical strategies for managing anger effectively. 

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Understanding anger

Anger is an emotion that can be complex in nature. Feelings in association with anger tend to exist on a spectrum, ranging from mild frustration to intense rage. While anger tends to have a negative connotation, not all expressions are unhealthy. For example, expressing anger may be necessary when it comes to defending yourself or advocating against injustice. On the other hand, poorly expressed anger has the potential for unfavorable consequences. 

Anger has the potential to induce several physiological changes, of which include: 

• Elevated heart rate
• Rapid breathing
• Muscle tension 
• Face flushing
• Clenched fist or jaw

Anger can influence an overwhelming desire to act impulsively either verbally, physically, or through demonstration of passive/aggressive behavior. Expressing anger can be a critical aspect of mental health when said expression is pursued mindfully. Anger outburst, aggressive behavior, or aspects of ongoing resentment are often indications of anger management issues. Learning to recognize common signs of anger can be pivotal in learning how to regulate anger. 

Types of anger

Since anger is experienced on a spectrum, it has the potential to produce diverse challenges. For some, anger is more of a regular occurrence, whereas for others, they may have more volatile reactions to their emotions. These types of anger responses may include:

• Chronic anger: This form of anger involves persistent feelings of irritability or frustration, leading to ongoing stress. This produces unfavorable potentials of mental and physical health
• Passive anger: This display of anger may involve an individual not expressing their emotions outwardly. Instead, individuals may use subtle, indirect approaches to demonstrate their frustration. This is often referred to as passive/aggressive behavior. Examples of this behavior include avoidance, sarcasm, or procrastination. 
• Explosive anger: Explosive anger involves sudden, intense outburst that are disproportionate to the situation. This demonstration of anger can be more volatile to both the individual and relationships. 
• Retaliatory anger: The perception of wrongdoing and the drive by the desire for revenge is associated with retaliatory anger. 

Understanding what type of anger you are prone to allows you to better tailor your strategies for controlling it.

What are anger issues?

Situations where an individual struggles to maintain their feelings of anger effectively is what constitutes anger issues. Despite anger being a natural emotion, it serves the potential of becoming problematic when the intensity or expression of the emotion becomes problematic. In turn, people with anger issues may feel like they can’t control their anger. Further, they may find themselves in recurrent situations where the anger leads to unfavorable impacts on their personal or professional lives. 

What causes anger issues?

There is a diversity of causes in association with anger issues. In many cases, anger issues can stem from a combination of genetics, psychology, as well as environmental factors. Some possible causes may include the following: 

• Family background: A frequent expression or suppression of anger during one’s upbringing may influence individuals to experience strain with managing their own anger as adults. 
• Stress: Chronic stress from work, relationships, or financial strain can perpetuate anger. Those experiencing constant stress are more likely to feel angry over minor irritations or react volatility to situations that they could usually manage calmly. 
• Other mental health conditions: Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can all be linked to anger. These conditions can make it harder for individuals to process and express their emotions in a healthy way.
• Cognitive patterns: People prone to anger issues often have cognitive distortions—patterns of thinking that fuel anger. For example, they may catastrophize situations or perceive minor inconveniences as personal attacks.

Understanding the root causes of your anger is essential in finding the most effective methods of addressing and controlling it.

Anger issues vs. anger disorders

It is important to delineate between anger issues vs anger disorders. Anger issues refer to struggles some individuals have in managing their anger. Anger disorders tend to be more severe and may be a diagnosed as a mental health condition like intermittent explosive disorder (IED). Episodes of extreme aggression or outbursts that are misaligned to what the situation warrants correlates with anger disorder. 

The signs of potential anger management issues could benefit from further mental health treatment to reduce mental adversity or unfavorable impacts to daily life. 

Taking the steps toward stress and anger management

Effective anger management involves acknowledging when you’re feeling angry, recognizing triggers, as well as applying strategies to control anger before it escalates. Anger management techniques can allow individuals to be advised by their emotions rather than controlled by them. Some steps to manage anger and stress include: 

• Recognize the emotion: Dismissing that one is angry often leads to suppressed feelings. Recognizing the emotion gives you the opportunity to resolve the it proactively. 
• Identify triggers: Acknowledging what influences one’s anger can be beneficial. These triggers may involve external events like being stuck in traffic or internal events like thoughts in association to feeling underappreciated or overwhelmed. 
• Pause before reacting: Taking a pause before reacting is one of the most effective ways to manage anger. This moment can allow you to proactively assess the situation mindfully to decide on an appropriate response that matches the intensity of the situation. 
• Reframing your thoughts: Negative thinking has an adverse impact on our anger. Cognitive restructuring is a process involving modifying these unhelpful thoughts into more rational ones. For instance, instead of thinking, “Nothing ever goes right”, consider instead, “This is a setback, but it’s something that I’ll likely be able to tolerate.” 
• Develop problem-solving skills: Anger often stems from feelings of overwhelm or powerlessness. Taking the time to break problems down into manageable steps can reduce feelings of frustration. 

These proactive steps towards anger management can improve quality of life, while also preventing anger from having an adverse impact on one’s relationship and overall health. 

Relaxation techniques and strategies

Incorporating relaxation techniques into your daily routine can make a substantial difference in how you manage anger. These strategies help reduce the physical symptoms of anger, such as increased heart rate, tense muscles, and rapid breathing.

The incorporation of relaxation techniques into daily routine can promote a substantial difference in ways anger is managed. These strategies can help reduce physical symptoms of anger such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, and rapid breathing. 

How relaxation techniques help manage anger and stress

Effective relaxation techniques allow a person to promote feelings of calm, breeding the potential to navigate frustration slowly and efficiently. Here are some effective relaxation strategies for managing anger and stress:

• Focused breathing: Shallow breathing often correlates to feelings of anger. Slow, deep breathing can help one regain control of their emotions. Taking deep breaths from the diaphragm rather than the chest results in the potential of tension reduction.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: This technique involves tensing and then relaxing each muscle group starting from the toes and moving up to the head. It is a useful way to physically release tension from the body during moments of anger.
• Guided imagery: Visualization of calm scenarios can assist as a distraction from immediate frustrations. Bringing to mind a serene scenario can lower stress levels and reduce feelings of anger. 
• Yoga and stretching: Physical relaxation techniques like yoga or stretching can reduce built-up tension; while also helping you remain calm during moments of stress
• Mantras or affirmations: Affirmations are statements of truth that promote inner-peace. Repeating such phrases like, “I can handle this” during moments of anger allows for a shift of focus, resulting in more grounded thoughts. 

Routine practice of these particular techniques can make it simpler to apply them in moments of increased stress or anger. 

Coping with aggressive behavior

Anger that reaches the point to where it turns to aggression can be harmful both to the individual and others. There are many forms that aggressive behavior can take, ranging from verbal outbursts to physical violence. Taking strides to cope with aggressive impulses is integral for maintaining favorable relationships and reducing harm. 

• Recognizing early signs of aggression: Aggression doesn’t happen all at once. Typically, there are warning signs leading up to it that can include physical (increased heart rate, clenched fists) or emotional (feelings of irritation or frustration). Recognizing these early signs allows one to appropriately intervene before it escalates. 
• Using de-escalation techniques: If you feel aggression building, step away from the situation and consider de-escalation strategies. These strategies can include deep breathing, counting to ten, or practicing self-talk to reduce feelings of anger. 
• Avoid triggers: If certain people or situations influence one’s aggressive behavior, do your best to avoid or minimize your exposure to them. This could include taking a different route to work to avoid road rage or learning to disengage from triggering conversations. 

Consulting a mental health professional for aggressive behavior

A psychologist or therapist can assist with identifying underlying causes of aggressive behavior should one find it becoming a recurrent issue. Mental health professionals offer a non-judgmental space to explore your emotions, while also providing support in developing healthier coping mechanisms. Professionals can also assist in addressing root causes, whether they stem from anger management or another mental health condition. 

How a mental health professional can help

Mental health professionals can offer a wide range of valuable tools for understanding and managing anger. The therapy space can provide a supportive outlet to explore emotions, discuss triggers, while also developing strategies to handle anger more effectively. 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a widely used modality for managing anger. This form of therapy focuses on a process called re-framing, allowing an individual to adopt a more reasoned stance to what a situation warrants, while also learning how to respond to triggers proactively. This modality also helps individuals to develop effective coping mechanisms in response to anger. 

The benefits of online therapy

Online therapy continues to grow in popularity. This provides a more affordable way for many to access mental health care from the comfort of their own homes. Individuals dealing with anger management issues will find that virtual therapy delivers the same quality of care as face-to-face sessions, while also offering schedule flexibility and accessibility. Further, such platforms can be efficacious for individuals in areas with limited mental health services, allowing them to connect with therapists experienced in treated anger-related conditions and other specific disorders. 

Takeaway

Despite anger being a natural emotion, it has the potential to become problematic if not managed effectively. Understanding root causes of anger, recognizing triggers, as well as applying practical strategies like relaxation are essential in managing anger. By taking control of anger, one can improve their well-being, build healthier relationships, while also pursuing a calmer, fulfilled life.