Anger is a basic emotion which has allowed us to survive as a species. When a baby screams because it is hungry, too hot or too cold, it is displaying its raw anger. Anger is the emotion of not having our needs met. We are programmed with the ability to express our anger from birth and then it gets complicated.
Anger, like all the emotions, involves physiological and chemical changes in the body. Heart rates and adrenaline levels are affected as the body experiences anger. For some people these surges can become addictive and destructive. There is a fine line between acknowledging anger and venting it until it is out of control.
We all have hooks for our anger whether it is a person pushing in front of a queue or being ignored. Understanding what they are and re-examining our thoughts around them can be among the first steps to managing anger.
How anger management or counselling may help:
* Examining the hooks for our anger and understanding them
* Looking at our own unhealthy beliefs attached to our anger
* Reassessing some of the unhelpful beliefs about anger in our family
* Understanding how anger affects our close relationships
* Taking responsibility for our own arousal to anger
The goal of anger management is to reduce the feelings and arousal that anger creates. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help people to manage their anger, other forms of counselling may help to explore the underlying issues. Knowing how to recognise and express anger in the correct way can help individuals reach their goals, solve problems and handle emergencies and have their needs met.
