Anger, like any negative emotion, can overwhelm your thoughts and feelings to the point of controlling your actions and affecting all aspects of your life. If you have unmanaged anger, the consequences can affect your relationships, career, and Mental Health. How do you overcome anger and the negative influence it has on your life? The answer lies in anger management counseling with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist.
Through anger management, patients gain insight into how anger works and the ways it impacts various aspects of life. Working with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist helps you better understand the role anger plays in your thoughts, emotions, habits, and behaviors. You also learn the skills and techniques you need to manage anger and control your reactions to it. Explore the benefits of anger management counseling to see how working with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist can change your life for the better with this overview.
Understanding Anger
Before you can identify, control, and heal from your anger, you must first understand what it is. Anger is not a Mental Health Disorder in and of itself. In fact, anger is a natural defense mechanism in the body; for most of human history, it has been a vital part of protecting and defending ourselves. When you experience anger, your brain releases stress hormones such as adrenaline. This hormone turns anger into a physical response that can lead to aggression.
Once you know exactly what anger is, where it comes from, and how it affects your mind and body, you can take the necessary steps to change the way you deal with it. This is what allows you to control anger rather than letting anger control you. Through anger management counseling, you learn about the different types of anger and how they affect you physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Passive vs. Aggressive Anger
Two of the main classifications of anger are passive and aggressive anger.
Passive anger often involves suppressing feelings of anger or frustration. Someone who experiences passive anger will often bottle up their emotions and struggle or outright refuse to communicate their feelings. This suppression does not mean passive anger disappears, though. Instead, it becomes an internalized emotion that leads to lingering resentment, grudges, and passive-aggressive behaviors.
In many ways, aggressive anger is the opposite of passive anger. Those with aggressive anger express their feelings intensely and outwardly through behaviors such as yelling at or pushing others. Aggressive anger revolves around pinning your frustration on others, and it often leads to verbal or physical altercations.
Chronic Anger
When anger is long-lasting or recurring, it is known as chronic anger. Chronic anger involves persistent feelings of frustration, irritability, or resentment. It puts you constantly on edge, always one annoyance or inconvenience away from an outburst. People with chronic anger often hold on to anger for long periods of time, even if the source of their anger is minor or no longer relevant to their lives.
Self-Directed Anger
Not everyone directs anger outward. Individuals who experience self-directed anger place their blame and criticism on themselves. This self-talk leads to extreme feelings of guilt and shame that exist alongside your anger. Self-directed anger can be both passive and aggressive. It can lead to harsh self-criticism, extremely low self-esteem, and self-destructive behaviors.
Explosive Anger
If you are prone to sudden outbursts of anger—especially outbursts that are disproportionate to the thing that angered you—you might be experiencing explosive anger. Explosive anger involves quick and intense reactions to anger. It is very aggressive and can often lead to a loss of control. In addition to struggling with frustration, individuals with explosive anger also have a hard time regulating stress and other negative emotions.
Constructive Anger
It is important to remember that not all anger is negative. In fact, one of the biggest benefits of anger management counseling is learning how to channel your natural angry reactions into constructive anger.
Constructive anger is a way to express your anger productively. It takes the intense thoughts and emotions that stem from anger and transforms them into energy and motivation for healthy or meaningful behaviors. People might use constructive anger to motivate their fitness routine, solve problems in their lives, advocate for important issues, or work hard to rise in their careers.
Addressing and Overcoming Symptoms of Anger
Anger is more than just an emotion. The longer you experience unmanaged anger, the more symptoms develop as a result of it. Unmanaged anger can lead to many different physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms, including:
- Yelling, shouting, and other verbal altercations
- Frequent arguments at work or with friends and family
- Aggressive behaviors such as raising your voice, throwing objects, or slamming doors
- Threatening or committing violence against other people
- Threatening or committing violence against yourself
- Reckless thoughts and behaviors
- Upset stomach
- Muscle tension
- Increased heart rate and high blood pressure
- Tightness in the chest
In anger management counseling, your Licensed Clinical Psychologist identifies these symptoms as the result of anger. Moreover, you learn to manage anger in a productive way, allowing you to overcome these symptoms and build a healthier response to anger and other negative emotions.
Addressing Anger and Mental Health Disorders
Anger can stem from stress, relationships, and various life events. However, it can also stem from Mental Health Disorders such as:
- Depressive Disorders
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Alcohol Abuse or other forms of Substance Abuse
- Bipolar Disorder
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Working with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist to identify and address these Mental Health Disorders is a necessary part of truly facing and overcoming your anger. If you try to manage anger without also addressing the root of the problem, the symptoms will just continue. Meanwhile, other Mental Health Conditions—such as comorbid Mental Health Disorders or maladaptive behaviors like addiction or self-harm—will also develop alongside your unmanaged anger.
Anger Management and Self-Regulation
The goal of anger management counseling with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist is not to get rid of anger. Anger is a natural part of life, and fully eliminating it is impossible. Meanwhile, suppressing anger is dangerous and unhealthy; it only leads to greater problems down the line.
Instead, anger management focuses on learning how to deal with anger and turn its negative emotions into constructive behaviors. This is closely tied to stress management and emotional regulation—skills that allow you to handle negative emotions in a healthy manner. By identifying triggers of anger and understanding when and how anger impacts your thoughts and behaviors, you can regulate your reactions and achieve a healthier, more positive mindset.
Improving Overall Quality of Life With Blair Wellness Group
Through anger management counseling, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist helps you build positive thought patterns, regulate negative emotions, and improve your overall quality of life. If you are looking for Anger Management Therapy in Los Angeles, Irvine, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Bel Air, Century City, Brentwood, Westwood, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, and the surrounding areas, contact Blair Wellness Group to see how our evidence-based treatment plans can help you.
