Control your emotions before they control you
Do you find yourself wondering, Why am I so angry?
We’ve all had our days.
Anger is a normal emotion that everyone experiences from time to time.
Lucas Ottone / Stocksy
We all experience different emotions at different times, and anger is one that you may experience.
Thisanger quizwas medically reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS.
Below is a list of some things that may help.
Lucas Ottone / Stocksy
Your body often enters a state known as thefight-or-flight response, which helps prime your body to take action.
Your heart rate increases and you begin to breathe much more rapidly.
To take control and reduce feelings of anger, it can be helpful to focus on your breathing.
Focus on taking slow, deep, controlled breaths.
Rather than taking shallow breaths that only fill your chest, try taking deeper breaths that expand your belly.
Click below to listen now.
Recognize Your Response to Anger
Feelings of anger are usually accompanied by both physical and mental symptoms.
You might feel your heart rate and breathing increase.
You may experience feelings of frustration, stress, irritation, and rage.
Sometimes just taking a pause and asking ourselves what is going on right now can be helpful.
It is important to remember that anger isn’t always expressed in the same way.
When you direct your anger inward, you might do things to punish or isolate yourself.
You might berate yourself with negative self-talk or even engage in actions that result in self-harm.
Passive anger often involves withholding attention or affection to make it punish others.
Thesilent treatmentand sulking are two examples of more passive expressions of anger.
By changing these thoughts, you may be less likely to experience negative emotions such as anger.
Mindful Moment
Need a breather?
Mindfulness-based treatment programs have been found to be an effective approach for reducing feelings of anger and aggression.
Anger can be due to a number of different things.
They may evaluate you to see what other symptoms you might be experiencing.
This might involve answering questions or filling out a questionnaire to screen for certain mental disorders.
Your doctor may then recommend treatments such as psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of the two.
Keep in Mind
Anger can often be a normal response to a difficult situation.
But it is important to recognize when anger is excessive, chronic, or harmful.
2011;20(2):115-119. doi:10.4103/0972-6748.102501
