Anger is a natural and healthy response to being offended, upset, or irritated. However, failing to control your anger can invite regrettable events, such as committing violent acts, sending impulsive texts, or threatening someone. Expressing your anger can take a toll on your relationships and health. Similarly, bottling up your anger can result in stress and even overindulgence in alcohol and medications.
Therefore, understanding what is anger management therapy is imperative to deal with your anger safely, positively, and healthily. Here, we have mentioned some techniques and interventions to control your anger before it controls you.
Anger Management Strategies:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a dominant form of anger management therapy. This therapy helps modify your actions and thoughts, following the idea that your emotions, behaviors, and thoughts are interconnected. Professionals from a mental health center of Denver will help you control your anger using effective CBT and other anger management techniques.
Practice Relaxation Skills:
When your anger starts popping out, opt for relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises, soothing music, or a few yoga poses. You can also try writing in a journal, visualizing a calming environment, smelling your favorite scent, or repeating your mantra. Use all of your senses to help calm your nerves. You can easily deal with obstacles if you learn to control your temper.
Develop Emotional Intelligence:
Next time you feel angry, get an insight into your emotions. Sometimes we embrace an angry attitude to prevent ourselves from experiencing an unpleasant emotion, such as grief, shame, or disappointment.
Knowing about your underlying emotions will facilitate your coping strategies. This is termed emotional intelligence. If you develop this skill, you will better deal with anger issues.
Photo Credits: Pixabay Disrupt Negative Anger Cycle:
A typical negative anger cycle includes “Respond, Retreat, Rethink”. When someone gets angry, they first shout at someone (React), then they either leave the place or are removed (Retreat), and once the damage has been done, they start to rethink how you could have reacted differently (Rethink).
You must disrupt this negative cycle by opting for the “Retreat, Rethink, Response” approach. First, escape to a mental space to follow retreat, rethink the whole event, and then carefully think about the best possible response.
State Your Concerns:
Talking to your counterpart about the root cause of your anger is the right way to cope with your anger. For instance, you feel unimportant if your spouse didn’t call you all day or frustrated as your sister didn’t clean up the kitchen after you made lunch, again.
Address the event and the person clearly. Use “i” while stating the whole event. For instance, I am feeling unimportant as you did not call me or frustrated as you did not help me clean up the kitchen. This will help you vent out your anger in the safest way as well as prevent such situations in the future.
Exercise Regularly:
Physical activity is one of the best strategies to deal with your anger issues. As endorphins are natural stress reducers, and when you start physical exertion, these hormones produce. Regular exercise refreshes your mood and minimizes the chances of losing your temper. Whether you start going to the gym, taking a brisk walk, or opting for a long run, you will feel a positive change and a clear insight into what makes you upset.
Recognize Your Triggers:
Learn to recognize the people or events that make you mad. For instance, if driving during rush hours elevates your anger, try to schedule your trip at a less busy time. Knowing about your anger triggers, you will try to avoid such places or events as a proactive measure.
Why Is Anger Management Therapy Important?
Chronic anger can trigger a series of severe events, ranging from relationship breakdowns and job problems to criminal charges . Moreover, holding up negative emotions like anger can be detrimental to your health.
In severe circumstances, anger can lead to domestic abuse, bullying, abusive parenting practices, and substance abuse. Therefore, anger management therapies, such as CBT, are highly effective in controlling your anger. These therapies empower people to see how their thoughts and behaviors have triggered their anger and encourage them to learn coping mechanisms and helpful thinking strategies when their anger arises.
Conclusion:
Anger is a healthy emotion as long as it does not control you. Whenever you feel your anger escalates, try to leave the venue to prevent venting out on your loved ones and regretting later on. Mastering the skills of emotional intelligence and altering the negative anger cycle will positively aid your mental health.
Moreover, regular exercise is imperative to stay fit and prevent stress. If you cannot control your anger, Cognitive Behavioral therapy from professionals can help you deal with your anger in the best possible way.
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