Anger Management

Everybody gets angry from time to time. It is a normal emotion to experience when we are faced with a frustrating or annoying event. However, it is important to learn about how the effects of anger on our body. When you get angry-

1. your heart pumps faster
2. your blood flows more quickly
3. your muscles become tense
4. adrenalin and other chemicals enter your bloodstream

Too much anger or uncontrolled anger may cause:

1. inability to maintain harmonious relationships
2. poor self-image
3. guilt
4. regret
5. problems at work

Anger may be a consequence of feeling stressed or frustrated. One may even feel anger when one is annoyed or disappointed. Often the feeling of anger starts as a response to our thoughts. Suppose, it was expected that someone would do you a favour. You were looking forward to the person doing something for you but it turned out that the person did not take it seriously and did not do what you had expected of him. In such a situation, you might have thoughts such as, “how could he/she take me lightly”, “why did he/she disappoint me, when I was counting on him/her’’, “how dare he/she not do this much for me”, “the person is mean” etc. When we think such thoughts, we feel angry, annoyed, frustrated and disappointed. All these negative emotions can block our view from the positive side of the situation and make us focus only on the negative part of the event. When we focus on the negative, we tend to create more problems than solutions.It also prevents us from understanding another person’s point of view and makes us see things from a biased perspective.

Anger management focuses upon understanding the root cause of our angry behaviour. It helps us to become aware of the subtle signs, which if left uncontrolled, can lead to an outburst.Once, you learn how to recognise the first signs of anger, you can begin to handle situations more effectively. Other than dealing with you problems via solution-focussed discussions, anger management teaches you strategies which you can practise daily to become calmer and more assertive. It makes an individual more solution-focussed instead of being problem-focussed.

Anger management deals directly with what one is thinking about a particular situation and how it is contributing to the anger. In some situations, we may believe that the only way to see a situation is our way; changing our point of view and taking a different perspective can give us a better grip on a tricky situation.

Anger management emphasizes upon the appropriate reaction to a situation. It recognises the importance of expressing anger, disappointment and frustration and helps you discover better strategies of expressing your feelings. After all, we can only be at ease when we feel understood and not misunderstood.