Anger is usually an emotion in reaction to another feeling, such as fear, pain or sadness. This emotion is linked to our instinctive fight or flight response and is a very normal emotion to experience. However, if this feeling is experienced or managed in an extreme way, it may be a symptom of more complex issues.
If anger or aggressive behaviour interferes with our lives or causes harm to others, then this may become a serious problem. In such situations, you may wish to gain the support of a professional therapist who can assist you in understanding the underlying reasons for your anger as well as assist you in developing healthy coping techniques.
We all know what it is like to feel angry, but when this evolves into a disorder, it is typically by its cause and symptoms. The different types of anger issues:
Prolonged and can impact the immune system and can cause other mental health disorders
Comes across in indirect ways, can be difficult to identify
Caused by life demands that are too much for the individual to cope with
Directed towards the self and may be caused by feelings of guilt
Directed towards others and may come with feelings of resentment
Sometimes involves spontaneous bouts of excessive outrage or violent anger
Can include paranoid fears, jealousy, envy as well as fears of betrayal, rejection or humiliation. Angry obsessions can destroy self-worth and emotional security.
The anger issues signs and symptoms can include:
Anger issues can by learnt behaviours from our childhood. Watching the adults as we grow up being excessively angry may increase our chances of developing our own problems. On the flip side, if we were expressing no emotions growing up, this would make it harder for us to respond to anger in a healthy way.
There may also be situations that trigger anger driven issues. These events usually create feelings of stress and powerlessness. These events can include abuse, crime, grief or bereavement but can also be a symptom of a mental health problem.
Symptoms vary between individuals, but they usually include:
Think about the bodily sensations you experience before you get angry, for example, sweaty palms or heat in your face. This helps you to recognise the physical cues of your anger and notice when they start in future scenarios and help you consider how you want to respond.
Learn techniques to calm yourself down when you feel yourself getting angry, this could include deep breathing, counting or relaxing the muscles in your body one at a time.
Regularly partake in activities that relax you such as exercise, meditation, yoga or listening to music. Providing that the activity is not harming yourself or others focus on doing it regularly to release your stress and boost energy
Sometimes these strategies are not enough to help get control of your anger. In this case, you may wish to seek professional support.
We have therapists who are experienced in helping with these issues, and you can get started today to find and book your therapist yourself or with the guidance of our helpful pathway team.
If you are not seeking private therapy, it may be feasible for you to get help for this issue with the NHS. You can start by arranging a GP appointment. They can signpost you to different mental health services within the NHS where you will get an idea of the waiting time. Some charities can support you, such as Local Mind anger management courses or The British Association of Anger Management.
Anger is usually an emotion in reaction to another feeling such as fear, pain or sadness. Anger is linked to our instinctive fight or flight response and a very normal emotion to experience, but if it is experienced or managed in an extreme way, it can become a problem.
We all possess the ability to get angry, but anger issues are developed through life, linking to upbringing or life events.
One exercise that may help is to write down all the things that are making you angry and why. Every time you feel anger bubbling read what you wrote and make a note of any patterns emerging. Having a better understanding of your anger may help you to control it better.
You may have anger issues which are driven by anxiety or stress, and especially when stress builds up, it can burst out as anger. Consider the things that make you stressed, do they also make you angry? Reflect on this and keep questioning your emotions and how they link together.
You cannot always control the circumstances you are in or how it makes you feel, but you can control how you respond. It can be very challenging to learn how to manage your response, which is why professional intervention such as anger management counselling could be the best way to learn and regain control.
Anger isn’t something you get rid of, but you can learn to manage it. Therapy targeting anger management and counseling can make you less reactive and in control of your response.
For more information on our anger issues clinic and centre in Newcastle, call Select Psychology today. You can trust that you’re in the right hands as we are members of the The British Psychological Society and The Health and Care Professionals Council.
