Managing Anger: When to Seek Help for Emotional Wellness

Recognizing Anger Issues and Finding Support: When to Reach Out for Help

Everyone experiences anger occasionally, but some individuals may feel this emotion more intensely or frequently than others. When anger becomes excessive or begins to interfere with your personal or professional relationships, it may indicate underlying anger issues. Continue reading to learn about identifying potential anger problems, expressing anger healthily, and determining when professional support is needed. Through therapy, you can develop effective strategies to manage challenging emotions like anger and build a toolkit of helpful coping mechanisms.

Understanding Anger

Anger is a natural emotion that everyone experiences periodically. People commonly feel angry when plans go awry, when they perceive injustice, or when they believe someone has wronged them. In many instances, anger is justified and can serve as a positive catalyst for change.

However, anger becomes problematic when it negatively impacts your life or the lives of those around you. Several indicators may suggest an anger issue:

• You experience anger frequently, which limits your ability to feel positive emotions
• Your anger is intense, and you feel unable to control it or may resort to physical aggression
• You express anger physically by slamming doors, hitting, throwing or breaking objects
• You engage in self-harm or harm toward others when angry
• You attribute your problems to other people
• Your anger damages your relationships
• You display passive-aggressive behavior
• Your anger negatively affects your work performance
• You respond disproportionately to minor inconveniences
• You dwell on past events that triggered your anger
• You have angry outbursts and say regrettable things, or may not recall what you said while angry
• You use substances or alcohol to manage your anger
• You maintain a generally negative life outlook
• You suppress your anger
• You feel isolated, unloved, or alienated and direct your anger inward

Physical Health Consequences of Anger

Anger can significantly impact physical health. Recognizing anger issues and developing management strategies can help prevent these potential concerns.

Cardiovascular Effects

Anger affects the heart in multiple ways, potentially impacting blood vessels, the electrical system, or the heart muscle itself. During anger episodes, heart rate and blood pressure typically increase, blood vessels constrict, and inflammation rises. For individuals with existing heart conditions such as high cholesterol, hypertension, or arrhythmias, anger can elevate the risk of heart attack.

Digestive System Impact

Research continues to reveal connections between gut health and brain function. Similar to anxiety and other emotions, anger can affect the nerves and muscles in the gastrointestinal tract, potentially causing discomfort, cramping, or diarrhea.

Mental Health Implications

Anger has been associated with various mental health challenges, including depression, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, insomnia, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. Additionally, anger may manifest as a symptom of other mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intermittent explosive disorder (IED), disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), bipolar disorder, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and borderline personality disorder (BPD).

The Importance of Managing Anger Before It Controls You

Anger issues can affect numerous aspects of life, making effective management beneficial in many ways:

Improved Physical Health

Learning to manage anger may reduce its adverse physical effects. By controlling your body’s responses to anger, you may mitigate cardiovascular and gastrointestinal reactions, protecting your long-term health.

Enhanced Mental Wellbeing

If anger contributes to mental health challenges like insomnia, anxiety, depression, or cognitive difficulties, developing management skills can alleviate these symptoms and improve overall wellbeing.

Stronger Relationships

Anger can significantly impact relationships with colleagues, family members, friends, and romantic partners. Learning to control anger can strengthen these connections and improve your social support network.

Anger Management Strategies

Several techniques can help you manage anger independently:

Recognize your warning signs. Managing anger is generally easier when you prevent escalation. Identifying early signs of anger allows you to take breaks or use relaxation techniques before emotions intensify.

Practice relaxation techniques. Various approaches can help you relax, including deep breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, progressive muscle relaxation, and physical activity. Find what works best for you and practice regularly so you can apply these techniques when anger begins to rise.

Avoid dwelling on anger triggers. While it’s tempting to mentally replay upsetting incidents, this prolongs angry feelings. Instead, work on releasing past events and focusing on positive aspects of your present situation.

Assessing Your Progress

If you notice decreased frequency of anger or less intense emotional escalation, your self-management strategies may be working effectively. However, if you struggle to gain control over your emotions, professional support may be beneficial.

When to Seek Professional Support

Generally, professional help is recommended if your anger causes harm to yourself or others. Warning signs include physically harming yourself or others, saying things you later regret, or feeling unable to control your anger. Additionally, seek help if you use substances or alcohol to cope with anger, or if you worry about potentially hurting yourself or someone else.

Therapeutic Approaches to Anger Management

Working with a mental health professional can help you develop anger management skills and identify contributing factors. If you have co-occurring mental health conditions, a therapist can also help address their symptoms.

Taking Control of Your Anger

Research indicates that approximately 75% of people participating in anger management therapy experience improvement.

Most research on anger treatment has focused on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In this approach, therapists help identify negative thought patterns or beliefs contributing to anger and teach strategies to modify them. Treatment typically involves analyzing factors that precede anger episodes and exploring alternative responses. Your therapist can support you in conflict resolution and rebuilding relationships affected by your anger.

Accessing Mental Health Support Through Telehealth

If you’re experiencing seemingly uncontrollable anger and interested in therapy, several options are available. When barriers to in-person treatment exist, such as limited appointment availability or transportation challenges, telehealth services like ReachLink provide accessible alternatives.

ReachLink connects you with qualified professionals through secure video sessions from any location with reliable internet access. Most clients are matched with a therapist within 48 hours, and you can change providers at no additional cost until