Understanding and Treating Anger
Every human being occasionally experiences feelings of anger and frustration. However, if individuals express these emotions on a larger and more violent scale, they might require anger management treatment.
Generally, people seek this type of treatment during a life crisis that is negatively impacting their personal and professional lives. In some instances, their anger might also be associated with past trauma or similar complex issues. This type of negative response is referred to as an outburst, and it usually causes difficulties in the affected individual’s life and relationships.
Should you ever struggle with managing anger, our dedicated team of mental health professionals can offer you assistance. We operate a wide network of state-of-the-art clinics and healthcare centres where you can access numerous treatment options. Utilising their experience, our specialists develop custom treatment plans that aid patients in recognising triggers and developing healthier responses and coping mechanisms. Furthermore, we aim to teach you about the various physical and emotional factors connected to anger management.
What is an Anger Management Problem
Anger is a natural human response to different events and occurrences. However, if anger negatively affects your life and causes you to harm yourself or those around you, it becomes a pressing issue that requires urgent attention. Anger issues present differently in each individual. Nevertheless, they generally worsen and become more frequent with time, especially if left untreated.
Anger can lead to both physical and verbal acts of aggression toward others. However, they also regularly cause both inward acts of aggression, characterised by negative and destructive thoughts, and outward acts, such as self-harm, punching walls and similar acts of violence. Typically, an individual’s response when angered depends on their ability to recognise and control their inner feelings.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are
tiny matters compared to what lies within us
Symptoms of Anger Management
In case you suspect that you or someone you love has anger management issues, these are some of the symptoms you ought to pay attention to:
Outward verbal and physical aggression or violence
This type of violence may include swearing, shouting, or being otherwise verbally abusive toward the people around you. In the case of physical aggression, individuals usually hit, push, or throw objects at others, quite often without truly meaning it. These reactions are considered to be the most counterproductive and destructive manifestations of anger.
Inward anger
In many instances, patients direct their anger and frustration inward, toward themselves. In such cases, they might experience intense self-hatred, which can lead to self-isolation, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.
Non-violent or passive aggression
While it is not as destructive as violent inward and outward anger, passive aggression can still jeopardise one’s intrapersonal relationships with friends and family. For instance, some may purposefully ignore their loved ones, perform poorly at work, or disregard directions or other people’s feelings.
Other common signs of anger issues include:
- Being easily angered by pettiness
- Regularly getting angry over the same issues
- Becoming angry after consuming alcohol or other psychoactive substances
- Experiencing physical symptoms due to anger, including sweating, heart palpitations, stomach aches, and anxiety
Thus, it is important to note that patients may still require anger management treatment even if they do not exhibit signs of outward aggression. Symptoms that are more subtle may still cause significant long-term harm and should be explicitly addressed.
Anger Management Treatment
Anger is a complex emotion that might be caused by a wide range of issues. Consequently, every person experiences and processes it differently. For this reason, we develop custom treatment plans for every patient after careful assessment and evaluation of their case. Our experts take into consideration any underlying condition, including mental health problems and addictions when devising treatment strategies. In addition, they ensure that interpersonal issues, low self-esteem, and past trauma are also addressed, generally through various forms of talk-based therapy.
The type and duration of a patient’s anger management treatment and therapy typically depends on the severity of their symptoms and the unique circumstances of their condition. While some enter our outpatient programmes and occasionally attend therapy sessions, others require a more structured approach and enrol in our day-care anger management classes.
Our mental health experts will assess all these factors and tailor your treatment plan to your needs. Once finalised, you can begin receiving psychological counselling for coping with your anger issues. Counselling may take various forms, ranging from individual sessions to group therapy.
Below, is a list of the most commonly used anger management treatment methods:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a talk-based therapy technique that aims to find connections between your thoughts, mood, and behavioural patterns. With the help of a qualified therapist, you can identify unproductive anger-based responses and work on replacing them with healthier and less destructive alternatives.
- Interpersonal psychotherapy
Interpersonal psychotherapy is another talk-based therapy treatment method. During your sessions, a licensed therapist works with you in order to uncover how your anger issues affect your personal and professional relationships. Along with individual sessions, this type of therapy can also take place in a group setting. In such cases, it may give you insight into other people’s struggles and show you that you are not alone.
- Anger management classes
Generally, these classes help you identify the triggers that lead to unhealthy and unproductive expressions of anger and rage. In addition, the classes aim to equip you with more productive coping strategies that will replace them. Anger management classes usually consist of patients acting out different scenarios centred around anger. Examples include experiencing anger at work, in a social setting, within a romantic relationship, etc. The goal is to work through the scenarios and come up with more assertive and helpful responses.
Regardless of which method is appropriate for your case, we will ensure you undergo treatment in a supportive and confidential setting. Our experts will promote more acceptable coping strategies and help you improve your interpersonal communication skills.
At our wellbeing facilities, we understand that every patient’s anger management issues are unique. For that reason, we ensure to evaluate and assist each individual in a manner that benefits them most.
Anger Management Tips
If you are struggling to control your anger and respond to it appropriately, the following words of advice might help make your symptoms more manageable.
- Acceptance
Accepting that you have anger management issues is the first step toward recovery; only after doing so can you begin to identify triggers and develop healthier coping strategies.
- Honesty
Practice honesty with your loved ones and try to surround yourself with people who support your journey and are willing to help you.
- Count to 5
When faced with a situation or event that angers you, count to 5 or 10 before responding
- Conflict resolution
When you experience anger, do not focus on what triggered it; instead, work with a loved one to determine how you can resolve the situation at hand in a calm and rational manner.
- Regular exercise
Try to get as much exercise as possible; even a simple walk could help you work through some of your anger and reduce your stress levels.
- Wellness therapies
Meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises can all help you feel calmer, aiding in clearing your mind and leading to productive responses to anger.
- Seek professional help
In case your anger becomes detrimental to your own safety (or the safety of those around you), seeking professional assistance is crucial.
Seeking Anger Management Help
If you find yourself grappling with anger management, rest assured that you do not have to navigate this journey alone. This condition is manageable, and by employing suitable techniques, you can effectively regulate your anger and explore alternative avenues for expressing your emotions.
FREE Anger Management Assessment
If your or a loved one are struggling with the effects of anger management, we understand the challenges you’re facing and we’re here to offer compassionate help.
Our highly trained advisers are available to speak to you right away, simply call 0808 252 3379 today.
We can discuss your concerns in complete confidence, explore the options for treatment, and help you to understand what will work best for you.
We’ll also help you to book your free anger management assessment there and then, with appointments usually available within only a few days.
We understand that taking the first step can be the most difficult, but we’re here to support – with no pressure or judgement.
Professional and compassionate help is just a phone call or click away.
