Anger Management & Emotional Regulation

Anger is a normal human emotion and when it is managed properly it is not a problem. Everyone gets angry, and mild anger can sometimes be useful to express strong feelings and deal with situations. However, if anger is expressed in harmful ways, or persists over a long period of time, it can lead to problems in relationships at home and at work and can affect the overall quality of your life.

Anger is an emotion that can range from mild annoyance to intense rage. It is a feeling that is accompanied by biological changes in your body. When you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure rise and stress hormones are released. This can cause you to shake, become hot and sweaty and feel out of control.
When people have angry feelings, they often behave in angry ways too. Angry behaviours include:

  • Yelling
  • Throwing things
  • Criticising
  • Ignoring
  • Storming out
  • Sometimes withdrawing and doing nothing

Anger is not usually a good solution to problems, even if it seems helpful in the short term. Unmanaged anger creates problems - sometimes for you and often for others around you. People with poor anger management are more likely to have problems with personal or work relationships, verbal and physical fights and/or damaged property. People can also experience:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Low self-esteem
  • Psychosomatic illnesses
  • Problems with alcohol or drugs

It is important to manage anger before it leads to other serious problems.

Anger management is about understanding your anger and why it happens. It is about learning and practising better ways of expressing anger, and knowing how to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Specifically, anger management is about knowing the triggers and early warning signs of anger and learning techniques to calm down and manage the situation before it gets out of control.

If you would like to speak to someone or organise an appointment with one of our experienced psychologists, please contact us today.

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