“Do I Have Anger Issues?” How To Tell If You May Benefit From Professional Help
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Anger is a normal human emotion that most people will experience in response to certain situations now and again. However, if your anger is frequent, extreme, uncontrolled, and/or starting to negatively affect your relationships with people in your life, it might be time to assess whether you may benefit from speaking to a mental health professional.
Signs you may be living with anger management challenges
Sometimes, frequent or intense anger can be a sign of a mental health condition. In other cases, it can stem from lacking healthy coping mechanisms for strong emotions. Either way, some signs that you may be experiencing challenges with anger and might want to consider seeking professional help and support include the following.
Frequent angry outbursts
A key sign of an inability to manage anger is becoming visibly angry on a regular basis and having angry outbursts. These outbursts may involve raising one’s voice, throwing and breaking things, or otherwise behaving aggressively.
An inability to let go of grudges
Another indication that your experience of anger may be becoming an issue is an inability to move on from past grievances. While everyone may experience relationship problems from time to time, being unable to forgive people who have upset you can be problematic. Holding grudges against other people can manifest in a variety of ways, like giving them the silent treatment or exhibiting passive aggressive behavior towards them. If you have difficulty letting go of grudges even if you want to, it could be a sign to seek help.
The toll that anger-related challenges can take on your well-being
Being angry is often an unpleasant experience in the moment. Beyond this, however, having frequently high levels of anger can also have a significant effect on your mental and physical health as well as your social relationships.
Physical impacts of chronic anger
Being chronically angry can take a toll on your body due to the chronic stress it causes. Some of these potential physical impacts can include:
- Increased blood pressure, heightening the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke
- A compromised immune system, leading to a greater chance of infection and slower recovery times
- Gastrointestinal concerns, including ulcers, heartburn and acid reflux, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Sleep concerns, including sleep disturbances, insomnia, and daytime fatigue from lost rest
How anger can negatively affect relationships
Being quick to anger can have a serious impact on your relationships as well. For example, some people may feel “on edge” spending time around you for fear of triggering an angry outburst. Anger can also cause you to say things you don’t mean in the moment, which could harm your bonds with others. Especially since research has indicated that there can be serious physical and mental health effects associated with loneliness and social isolation, eroding your social support system through angry behavior can signify that it’s time to seek help.
How to identify situations that trigger your anger
A first step toward learning to better manage anger is beginning to take note of the events and situations that tend to trigger your angry outbursts, which a therapist can help with. For example, for many people, driving in heavy traffic can cause a form of anger known as “road rage.” Other situations that might trigger your anger might include being in crowds, not eating enough, or when unexpected complications derail your plans. Once you’ve identified these common causes, you may be able to take steps to cope with the emotion you feel in those situations.
Ways to address anger concerns
Since uncontrolled anger can lead to so many negative life impacts, it can be important to learn healthy ways to manage it. Mindfulness, lifestyle changes, and professional support are a few strategies that may be helpful.
Meditation and mindfulness for anger issues
Because anger can often be an immediate reaction, learning to pause and connect with your feelings and your body before responding to a situation could be helpful. Practicing meditation, deep breathing, and other mindfulness exercises can strengthen this awareness of yourself and lead you to better recognize when you are becoming angry. Once you are able to identify your patterns, you can take steps to problem-solve and address potentially anger-provoking situations before they spiral out of control.
Lifestyle adjustments to help manage anger
Certain lifestyle changes may also help you with anger management. Avoiding the use of substances like alcohol can be beneficial, since it’s been linked to anger. Eating regularly—particularly nutrient-dense foods—and drinking water could also help, as hunger and dehydration can make you irritable. Building up a regular exercise routine has also been suggested to reduce angry feelings.
Treatment for underlying mental health conditions
Sometimes, anger issues can be directly caused or exacerbated by mental health disorders a person may have. Examples include mood disorders like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder; trauma- and stressor-related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); or personality disorders like narcissistic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, or antisocial personality disorder. There are also mental health conditions directly related to angry outburst, such as intermittent explosive disorder.
In addition, angry outbursts can be caused by trauma, grief, stress, or other related challenges. Mental health professionals can provide treatment for these conditions and challenges, which can help reduce one’s anger levels by addressing the root cause.
Mental health treatment to help manage anger issues
Whether it’s the result of a diagnosable mental health condition or not, uncontrolled anger can cause significant mental health concerns. A licensed mental health professional can help you address these challenges. They can offer you a safe space to voice and process your emotions, and they can help you identify situations that typically trigger strong feelings and develop healthy coping mechanisms for them.
Online therapy for anger management
Not everyone feels comfortable with the prospect of meeting with a therapist face to face. In cases like these, online therapy can be a more comfortable alternative. With a platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched and then meet with a licensed mental health professional virtually from anywhere you have an internet connection.
Research findings indicate that online therapy may have similar efficacy rates to traditional in-person therapy when it comes to addressing anger concerns. For example, one study examined the use of online therapy to treat anger issues. Its findings suggest that it was effective at reducing problematic anger symptoms.
Takeaway
Why do I cry when I get angry?
Different people can have a variety of physiological responses to anger. Crying is one common response, as anger is often a secondary emotion in response to a primary emotion, like sadness or fear. Because anger also activates your body’s stress response, it can lead to a wide range of physical reactions, which can include tearing up. Crying may be primarily associated with sadness, but if you think of it as a response to your body experiencing any form of overwhelming emotion, it may make more sense why you might cry when you’re angry.
What is dissociative rage?
Dissociative rage is not a clinical term, but it refers to a state of intense anger that is so extreme that a person may feel like they’ve disconnected from themselves. They may experience the situation as though they are watching it from above, or they may have no recollection of the events at all afterwards. Dissociation in any form is often a response to experiencing severe trauma, typically in early childhood, so experiencing a dissociative state can indicate that professional mental health intervention may be necessary.
How do I know that I have anger issues?
Some signs of anger issues may include angry outburst towards friends, frequently feeling angry, an inability to control anger when it arises, engaging in self-harm, frequently regretting things you’ve said, or angry emotions being triggered by small incidents. If anger outbursts begin affecting relationships, you may want to consider getting a formal diagnosis.
How do I know if I have an anger disorder?
If anger symptoms begin to impact your daily life you may want to take a test or see a mental health professional. The Clinical Anger Scale (CAS) is one diagnostic tool that individuals can use to test for anger issues, however, to receive a formal diagnosis for an anger disorder it’s important to speak to a mental health professional.
It’s important to remember that anger is a human emotion, and rare outbursts don’t necessarily mean you have an anger disorder. If you take a test, you should compare results over time.
Why am I so angry all the time?
If you’re feeling angry all the time it could be due to a variety of internal or external factors. Some external factors may include being mistreated at work, financial, or family problems. Internal factors such as underlying mental health conditions can also affect your mental and emotional state.
How to heal anger issues?
Speaking to a mental health professional can be an important step towards healing anger issues. During therapy sessions, individuals can learn coping strategies to deal with anger and other negative emotions, approaching them with compassion and acceptance. Frequently engaging in exercise, meditation, yoga, and healthy eating, can also help to foster positive emotions, in turn reducing anger.
What are the 5 stages of anger issues?
In psychology, the 5 stages of anger issues usually refers to the anger arousal cycle. The five phases are as follows:
- Trigger: a life situation evokes an angry feeling
- Escalation: mental and physical signs of anger begin to appear, oftentimes accompanied by a different posture
- Crisis: the action phase, where an angry emotion is expressed outwardly
- Recovery: after expressing anger, the body and mind begin to recover from the outburst
- Depression/Guilt: awareness and energy are regained, and feelings of guilt or regret may occur
How do I fix my anger issues?
It’s important to remember that anger is a natural human emotion, however, if anger issues begin to negatively impact your life there are different things you can do. Here’s a few things you can try:
- Using humor to relieve tension
- Exercise to take your mind off the situation
- Practice deep breathing
- Talk to a friend or loved one
- Play some music
- Speak to a mental health professional for long term support
How do people with anger issues act?
Individuals may not express anger in the same way. For example, people who internalize anger may engage in self-harm, while those who externalize it may engage in public acts of aggression, such as shouting, swearing, slamming doors, hurting friends, or being physically violent.
Do I have anger issues or bipolar?
When it comes to anger issues there are often distinct triggers, such as a vehicle cutting you off, or a colleague insulting you. However bipolar outburst are more unpredictable, intense, and often happen for no distinct reason.
Do anger issues ever go away?
While you can’t make anger go away completely, you can seek long term treatment and support options, especially if your anger is having a negative impact on your life. Ongoing treatment and other tools such as deep breathing, relaxation, and meditation, may significantly reduce feelings of anger in your life.
What emotion is behind anger?
When people are feeling negative emotions such as sadness, fear, or loss, they may experience a certain level of vulnerability. Sometimes it can be easier for people to express themselves through anger, rather than to deal with these emotions.
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