Anger is an emotion linked to feeling hurt, mistreated, or injured in some fashion. When faced with obstacles, you may feel anger. Expressing your emotions, including anger, is a healthy way of releasing feelings like stress. However, anger becomes an issue if you have trouble controlling your behaviors associated with anger.
Experiencing Anger
How you feel anger is different from how your friend or a stranger feels anger. You may have intense anger that lasts a few minutes, while your friend may have moderate irritation that lasts for several days. Also, your threshold for anger, how easily you anger, or your comfort in the emotion can vary.
According to MentalHelp’s article “What Is Anger?” the average adult is angry at least once a day and experiences annoyance approximately three times a day. Whenever you feel a burst of anger, remember that feeling annoyed, frustrated, or angry is a normal human emotion.
Destructive or Constructive
Your anger, when managed, causes little to no harm to your physical and mental health. Whenever you express your anger, your mind tells you something is wrong. Often, your anger will require your full attention and act as a catalyst to change. Be mindful of how you channel your anger. Your words or behaviors can elicit a reaction from a person. Before you react, use mindfulness techniques to help you process the situation.
Anger is destructive when your behavior results in estrangements from family or friends. Excessive anger or uncontrolled anger can also damage your mental and physical health. If you can’t control your anger, seek the help of a mental health professional.
Mental Health and Anger
Some ways to help you cope with your feelings of anger include:
- Mindfulness or breathwork requires you to step back from a situation or person and focus on your breathing. Then, as you use cleansing breaths to assess and process the issue, you can shift your thoughts to find a healthy solution.
- When combined with holistic therapies, individual therapy guides you to understand yourself and any underlying causes for your anger. Then, your therapist can work with you to find healthy coping skills.
- The practice of yoga brings your attention back to your mind and body.
- Art, music, or adventure therapy can give you healthy ways to release harmful emotions.
Anger is an expression of your feelings of being hurt or mistreated. Researchers in anger agree that most adults experience moments of anger throughout the day. Your feeling of annoyance or anger isn’t something to be concerned about. However, you should seek therapy if your anger disrupts or ends relationships, causes violence, or isn’t controllable. The Guest House’s therapists can guide you to understand how underlying issues like depression or anxiety can influence anger. We offer premier treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. Learn how our serene location near Ocala, Florida, can help you. Call (855) 483-7800.