Anger control for good mental health

Experiencing anger due to certain circumstances is normal. How ever, what we should try to avoid is, it becoming a common emotion and having the anger get out of control. Once you learn how to handle your anger, you will inherit the ability of seeing it as a warning that something else needs to be addressed like a particular situation, emotion or even a daily routine. If not carefully supervised it may lead to both physical and mental health issues along with social troubles.

Anger usually derives from an underlying cause, other emotions and tribulation that are often over looked, especially when one it caught up in the heat of an anger blow out. I know for me one of the things that can easily cause me anger if I’m not aware, is a lack of sleep. Pressures and anxiety are another huge factor in the emotions of anger.

Identify your anger - Is there a particular reason behind it? Sometimes in our lives we have to play different roles to achieve control over a matter. So in this case playing archeologist may serve us well but instead of digging for bones we have to dig for the source. When you are beginning to feel irritable and intolerant, take a time out. Walk in into the nearest available room where you can be alone and take a deep breather then think of a calmer solution to what ever is causing you to feel angry. If you were in the middle of a very heated argument, walk away. If you are alone go for a walk in the park or engage in some healthy form of physical activity.

Once you are alone make your self a cup of coffee or tea. When ever I feel bit irritable, a cup of tea is my mother’s first advice. Now, ask yourself a few questions. Have you been sleeping well? Are you stressed at work due to coworkers or dead lines? Maybe you are experiencing financial problems or recently ran into a person from the past that brought back unpleasant memories. Even ask yourself how long have you been short fused with others? Write down your feelings, this can help in your awareness process, seeing your emotions and feeling in print can assist in you making a mental note of them.

Share your concerns with others – Call a relative or a friend and tell them how you seem to be experiencing anger problems, I’m sure they will offer you some tips and share their experience with you. I also find there to be a huge healing effect in the spoken word especially when you hear yourself speaking of the particular subject, it causes you to become more aware and awareness is key in order to take hold of a situation and not allowing it to unravel into something that you will later regret.

A support group or therapist that is based on anger management can also help a great deal in identifying the underlying cause of your anger. Many therapeutic programs include the use worksheets or journals as a way of monitoring your behavior and emotions during the day to see where the development of anger came about. Although, you can create a journal of your own, either way it will be beneficial.

Be honest – If you have displayed anger toward someone, afterward you will mostly likely feel horrible. Your best bet is to offer your apologies to them, while explaining to them the underlying cause of why you think you may have gone overboard and how you are working hard on gaining control and will continue to do so in order to avoid it from happening again. This not only allows you to be apologetic and kind to the other person but, it also helps to alert you while preventing the circumstance itself to become the underlying source of another anger mishap because you are feeling bad.

Remember, we are not perfect, we will occasionally get angry and upset at certain things. But, when we cross the occasional line into it becoming something that will hurt us or others physically or mentally, We must take charge and get to the root of the problem and although, there will be trial and error, with a sincere desire to get better a person can learn to deal appropriately with their anger problems.

Madison O'Sullivan

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