Anger

It is one of the basic human emotions. It arises due to, how we interpret and react to certain situations. Everyone has their own trigger's, some of them are mentioned below :

  • Stress

  • Frustration

  • Relationship/ Family issue

  • Not being treated fairly by people

Most of the time we know the trigger but there are also times when its difficult to figure out the cause of anger and we feel guilty and upset after anger outburst.People can interpret situations differently, so a situation that makes you feel very angry may not make someone else feel angry at all.

How you interpret and react to a situation can depend on lots of factors in your life, including:

  • Childhood experience : You may have grown up thinking that it's always okay to act out your anger aggressively and therefore whenever things are not your way or people do not behave the way you want them to, you get angry. Or You may have been brought up to believe that you shouldn’t complain and therefore you tend to suppress your emotions and feelings and when it becomes too much you react inappropriately to the situation.

  • History of abuse, trauma or bullying and you weren't able to express your anger and displeasure at the time, you might still be coping with those emotions now.

  • Current Stress : Work related, Relationship issues, Issues in marital life, Family issues, Grief etc.

Anger itself isn't considered a disorder, but it is a known symptom of several mental health conditions like Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar disorder, Narcissistic personality, Oppositional defiant disorder(ODD), Addiction (Drug and Alcohol abuse)

What can I do to manage my anger?

First , its very important to understand what is causing anger outbursts, figure out the trigger points. Here are few ways in which you can manage your anger:

  • Deep breathing

  • Walk away from the situation for a while and try to understand the real emotion behind this anger( Are you sad/upset/disappointed?)

  • Relaxation techniques

  • Regular Physical exercise

  • Distraction

If you continue to have anger issues, therapy can help. A therapist can teach skills to manage anger. They may also help a person address underlying emotions and memories that may be contributing to the distress.

A psychiatric consultation is required if the cause of anger is underlying mental health issue.