There’s plenty to be angry about these days. And feeling anger can be an appropriate response to a provocation. However, if you feel angry all the time or have angry outbursts that frighten you or others, you’re at risk of compromising your health — and theirs.
Our expert counselors at The Soho Center for Mental Health help you understand the source of your anger and manage your uncomfortable feelings. At our Greenwich Village offices in New York City, New York, and via secure telemedicine consultations, they teach you new techniques to deal with conflict and disappointment.
Would you benefit from anger management? The following questions may help you discover the answer.
You may not recognize your anger as a problem at first, because it seems to stem from outside forces: the partner who’s constantly “nagging” you, the service people who screw up your order, the long lines at the grocery store or bank.
Even though it’s normal to feel angry from time to time, especially when confronted with unpleasant situations, chronic anger isn’t normal. In fact, it isn’t even healthy.
When you undergo anger management treatment, you learn to shift your thinking about unpleasant stimuli so that you don’t overreact to it. Through either or both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), you realize that you’re in control of your reactions and can choose how to respond to provocations.
Often, at the heart of anger, is fear or sadness. If you’re struggling with money issues, have recently become unemployed, or if a partner cheated on you, you may feel like you can never achieve justice or satisfaction.
Anger management helps you identify the emotions and wounds at the heart of your anger so that you can begin to address and heal them. You also learn to express your anger verbally and non-confrontationally so that other people understand why you’re angry.
Even though it’s normal to feel angry sometimes, losing your temper or lashing out at others doesn’t help you get closer to a resolution. You may be so immune to your own angry feelings that you don’t even notice them.
However, if people in your life tell you that you’re angry or if you feel yourself blaming others for your feelings, you could benefit from anger management. You learn how to express your anger appropriately and without blame.
Chronic anger causes stress that can compromise your health because you don’t breathe as deeply, which constricts your circulation. However, if you get angry while driving, you could seriously injure or kill yourself or somebody else.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 33% of traffic accidents are caused by road-rage types of behaviors, such as illegal maneuvers, such as trying to block another vehicle from switching lanes. Even if you don’t drive, you might feel rage when commuting via subway or bus, especially if other people invade your space.
If you commit an act of violence against yourself or another, that’s a sign that your anger is a danger both to you and to others. Unless your health or life is in danger, taking out your anger on another person, or even an animal, is not appropriate and could lead to dire consequences.
Through anger management, you learn to identify thought patterns and behaviors that lead up to the point at which you lose control. You then use new techniques to redirect those feelings so that you feel calm and in control again.
Don’t risk the consequences of out-of-control anger. To learn anger management, improve your relationships, and feel better about yourself and the world, use our online form, or call our friendly staff during office hours to schedule a consultation. You can also choose teletherapy that’s conducted through confidential and affordable video/phone consultations.
