Anger Management

Anger management is about learning to express your negative feelings in a healthy way without becoming aggressive or violent. Anger is a very powerful emotion. It can also be a very destructive one and if you are unable to manage your anger properly, it can have a negative impact on every aspect of your life.

Anger is generally a reaction to people or situations, usually as a result of something out of our control. It can vary in intensity and often ranges from feelings of mild annoyance when you have to queue at the bank, to catastrophic out-of-control rage when you find out your other half has been cheating on you for the last three years.

Everybody copes with anger in different ways. Some people are able to deal with their emotions in a calm and rational way, whereas others become aggressive and lash out. Whilst it is perfectly normal to experience feelings of anger sometimes-after all, everyone loses their temper occasionally-if your feelings are becoming increasingly difficult to control and other people around you are affected by your irrational outbursts, violence, and bullying behaviour, it is time to think about learning some anger management techniques.

Once you have recognized that you might have an anger management problem, there are various ways in which you can learn to deal with your issues. It is often helpful to try and think if there are any unresolved issues from your past that are affecting your current behaviour.

One important anger management technique is to learn to recognize when uncontrollable anger is building up inside. Give yourself some time out from the situation instead of allowing the anger to simmer away until you explode is a better. Take a step back and consider the consequences of your anger before you blindly lash out.

Breathing techniques are sometimes helpful when learning to deal with irrational feelings of anger. Deep, slow breathing is a good way to deal with the physical reactions of anger. It helps to relax the body and the mind, and will help you to remain calm and composed.

If confrontations are usually the trigger points for angry feelings, you must learn to assert yourself without losing your temper. Once important way of doing this is to think through what you are intending to say instead of being drawn into a heated discussion. Try to keep your cool and concentrate on deep breathing techniques. Always listen to the other person and accept that they are entitled to a different opinion. Above all, try not to take things too personally as differences of opinion are rarely a personal issue.

Disagreements in the workplace are not uncommon, but how you deal with them can be crucial. If you regularly react to difficult situations by losing your temper, you are unlikely to be an effective manager. Nobody likes a bully and this type of behaviour is a great way of destroying your career.

Anger at work is often caused by long working hours, feelings of responsibility and an unrealistic workload, all of which cause high levels of debilitating stress. If your feelings of anger at work are as a result of stress and an unreasonable workload, it is important that you try to organize and priorities your time. Try discussing your problems with your manager to see if there are ways to delegate some of your tasks to other staff. If you are still having problems, it might be time to consider a change of career. After all, no job is worth your health and sanity.

There are many anger management programs to help people deal with their anger. Some courses involve counselling sessions and cognitive therapy on a one-to-one basis or in groups. These courses will help you to deal with your feelings of anger in calm and rational ways using some tried and tested techniques. Some people will benefit from assertiveness training, especially if anger management issues result from a failure to express angry feelings in a constructive manner.

If you have tried self-help techniques, but you still feel you need some extra help, the best port of call is your doctor, as they will be able to offer some useful anger management advice and, if necessary, refer you for extra counselling or therapy.

Want to find out more about Anger Management Training, then visit our training section here.