You feel the anger bubbling up inside you again. This is the umpteenth time that someone has cut you off on your short 20-minute commute to work. You’ve held it in until now, but you can’t hold yourself back any longer: your foot slams on the brakes dramatically, your fist punches the steering wheel and sounds the horn, and before you know it, your head is out the window, mouth agape, profanities spewing left and right. A moment later, you retreat back into your car and roll the window up. You shake your head in disappointment and disapproval at yourself. You lost it. You let your anger take control. Again.
Did the above resonate with you? Do you often lose your cool when sitting in traffic or simply driving to work? Or maybe it isn’t so much road rage. Perhaps it’s your spouse’s forgetfulness, disorganization, and aloofness that drives you mad. Or maybe it’s rarely your spouse that enrages you. It’s the endless chatter at work and your boss’s last-minute assignments. Or maybe… it’s everything: the road rage, your spouse, work, anything and everything under the sun.
We all get angry—at times this anger is warranted and at others it’s not—but in any case, we must express and manage that anger properly. This is easier said than done for certain individuals, as millions of people struggle with serious anger. More specifically, about 22 million people—or nearly 1 in 10 Americans—present severe anger issues. If you are one of these individuals who needs a little help expressing and managing their anger more effectively, don’t worry. Help is just around the corner—or at the other end of a phone call! The mental health professionals at Thriveworks Johnson City are eager to help you overcome this problem and lead a more relaxed, enjoyable life, through anger management counseling. All you have to do is pick up your phone and call us to schedule your first appointment today.
What Is Anger Management? Do I Have Anger Issues?
Anger management is a form of therapy designed to help people manage their anger more appropriately and more effectively. Typically, there are certain stressors that cause one to lash out or lose their cool, which makes identifying these triggers important to the therapeutic process. A few common internal triggers include pent-up frustration, unease, and self-perceived failures. And a few common external triggers include…
- Traffic
- Loud or impolite people
- Slow customer service
- Poor working conditions
- Crowds or busy places
- Disorganization
When people with anger issues experience these triggers, they often react with aggression or even throw disruptive tantrums. They then look back at their angry outburst with disapproval and shame. Fortunately, however, they can look forward to a hopeful future. While it’s highly unlikely that you can completely remove these triggers from your day to day life, the therapists at Johnson City can help you get your emotions and resulting behavior under control. All you have to do is let them.
How Exactly Does Anger Management Work?
Aside from identifying triggers, what exactly do you do in anger management? How does the process unfold? The truth is that there’s no clear cut answer to anger problems: every person is different and experiences anger in a unique way. That being said, the techniques you learn in anger management are designed to help you deal with anger and other negative feelings in a productive way, regardless of what your triggers are and how your anger presents itself. Here are a few helpful strategies for calming yourself when anger threatens to get the best of you:
- Utilize the five senses. You have the power to relax your mind simply by tapping into any of your five primary senses. Try it! Blast your favorite song and get lost in the music. Or envision yourself lying on a beach in the Bahamas. See? You’re feeling better already.
- Tune into your physical sensations. When you feel anger coming on, focus on any physical sensations: sweaty palms, a racing heart, goosebumps. Tuning into these sensations can help you to reduce them and take control of your feelings again.
- Take a deep breath. Another effective technique is slow, deep breathing. For the best results, fill your lungs with as much air as you can, hold it for a few seconds, and then release. This will help to reduce all of the tension in your body.
It’s important you seek anger management counseling and put these techniques to use, as controlling your anger isn’t just vital to your relationships and functionality in everyday life, but it plays an important role in your health. Too much anger puts you at a greater risk for many health ailments including high blood pressure, a weak immune system, emotional instability, heart attack, and stroke. Take control of your health and wellbeing again—think about seeing a therapist or counselor at Thriveworks Johnson City.
Get Help for Your Anger Issues at Thriveworks in Johnson City, TN
I know as well as the next person just how hard it can be to admit you have a problem. But I also know just how rewarding, even life-changing, this step can be. Take that big step toward healing and living a calmer, more emotionally stable life—reach out to Thriveworks Johnson City and start anger management counseling today. Give us a call at (423) 491-4202 and a scheduling specialist will set you up with one of our skilled, caring professionals.
