Anger is one of our primal human emotions. We all feel angry from time to time. However, sometimes anger can take a life of its own. If we don’t know how to control our anger, it can have destructive consequences for our health, relationships, and overall lifestyle. Not only that, but people that have serious anger problems can also even perform extreme acts such as beating, and even killing. So, understanding and effectively dealing with anger is of the utmost importance.

Below is everything you need to know about anger and most importantly what you can do to get control over yourself.

What is Anger?

You can define anger as the disposition of violent or aggressive behaviour towards someone who has done you harm. Anger is a normal human emotion and it is not always a bad thing to be angry. But it can escalate from being a normal human emotion to a disorder that can make a person dangerous.

The intermittent explosive disorder is a condition in which a person may have sudden episodes of impulsive and aggressive behavior. Road rage, domestic abuse, breaking objects, throwing temper tantrums can all be the signs of the intermittent explosive disorder.

Anger does not always mean that it’s a bad emotion. It can help you fight for your needs and sometimes anger can be channeled out into an artistic creation. It gives you the ability to express negative feelings. But, you have to understand when it can get out of control and cause problems for you. Chronic prolonged anger can damage the immune system and give rise to several mental health disorders. Therefore it’s important to draw a line between healthy and unhealthy anger.

How to find an Anger Management Therapist

If you are looking to find the perfect Anger Management therapist it is crucial to make sure that they have the appropriate qualifications, knowledge and experience. At Expat Therapy 4U we only accept therapists who have full professional proficiency in English and are highly experienced in working with people from culturally diverse backgrounds. The clinicians we approve share our values and commitment to provide high quality therapy to the expatriate community in the private sector across Europe and online worldwide. We strongly believe that therapy changes lives, and being accredited ensures all our therapists are qualified to a high standard. You can find an Anger Management therapist who is insured to practice and accredited with a recognised membership body online here.

What are symptoms of Anger?

Explosive eruptions can occur out of nowhere without any warning and usually don’t last more than 30 minutes. These episodes can occur frequently or without any specific reason. However, anger can be more than just aggression. The symptoms can manifest in many different ways. Let’s have a look at them down below.

• Rage and increased energy.
• Irritability and racing thoughts
• Tinglings in hands, palpitations and chest tightness.
• A faster heartbeat and tenser muscles.
• Clenching your fists and feeling tightness in the body.
• Being unable to relax and easily irritated.
• Feeling humiliated, tense, or nervous.
• Resenting other people and shouting.
• Starting fights, breaking things or ignoring other people.
• Self-harming.
• Temper tantrums, shoving or beating others.

What are the causes of Anger Management problems?

Anger is different for everyone and there can be many causes for why you can lose control.

Some of the common causes of anger are:

• Being treated unfairly and feeling powerless to do anything about it.
• Feeling threatened or attacked.
• People not respecting your authority, feelings, or property.
• Being interrupted by others when you are trying to achieve something.
• Your family history can also shine a light on your anger disorder. If you had a traumatic or troublesome childhood, it can lead to angry outbursts down the road.
• It can also be a genetic factor in which the disorder is passed down from parents to the child
• If you have a history of physical abuse, it can also cause anger management problems later in life.
• Depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADHD, Bipolar disorder, ODD,or other mental health concerns are also catalysts for anger management problems.

Effective Anger Management treatments

Anger management involves a range of skills that can help recognize the signs of anger and handle the triggers in a positive way. A person can identify their anger at an early stage and then express what they require in a calm and collected manner.

Coping is a technique that can be learned with time and patience.

Therapy

Therapy can be beneficial when dealing with anger. It can help you identify stressors and learn techniques to help you stay calm during angry encounters. Anger management therapies can help you decrease both your emotional and physical arousal.

Your therapy starts by exploring the roots of your anger. These may include both internal and external events. Such as injustice or humiliation etc.

Anger management works by providing a clear set of guidelines for recovering. It gives the person in recovery a controlled platform for releasing their emotions. At the same time, it focuses on bringing out constructive responses instead of destructive ones.

It helps people adjust how they look at situations and how they can manage their triggers.

Some of the common techniques used in anger management therapy may include:

• Impulse control
• Self-awareness
• Meditation
• Frustration management by journaling
• Breathing techniques
• Relaxation techniques

You can also try some self-help techniques such as:

• Try and recognize when you start to feel angry so you can take steps to calm down.
• Give yourself some time to think before reacting. Try counting to 10 and taking deep breaths whenever you feel yourself going into an angry outburst.
• Discuss with others about what is making you angry. Try discussing with someone who is not connected with your concerning situation. You can also try joining support groups or consulting a therapist.
• Exercising helps release built-up stress to a great extent. Try jogging or walking whenever you feel angry.
• Try not to focus on things you cannot change, instead pay attention to how you react and only to what you can do.
• Do not use alcohol, or any other drug to counter with your anger. These can all contribute to poor mental health.

Medications

You can consult your doctor and see whether you can benefit from medications or not. Antidepressants can help you calm down and control your anger if you often go through such tantrums. Medication coupled with therapy can provide excellent results.

Find an Anger Management Therapist through the Expat Therapy 4U platform

Anger can be an extremely destructive emotion. Knowing how to control and channel it in the right way is necessary if you don’t want to let it ruin your relationships, health, or wellbeing. If you feel like your anger is interfering with your everyday life, then getting in touch with a therapist can be an excellent decision to rule out any underlying problems and learn better coping mechanisms.

Further Readings on Anger Management

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/controlling-anger/

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/problems/anger-management/

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-anger