Anger is a part of being human. It’s perfectly healthy and normal to feel angry when you’ve been mistreated or wronged. It is not possible to ‘get rid’ of anger, as some people who come to counselling wish, because it is a natural feeling that is essential to our survival. It is, however, possible to learn to manage angry feelings and behaviours.
Sometimes people explode with rage and act out their angry feelings, whilst others hold their anger in and deny that it exists. The feeling isn’t the problem—it’s what you do with it that makes a difference. Anger becomes a problem when it harms you or others. If anger isn’t managed and expressed safely, it can lead to all sorts of problems e.g. domestic violence, road rage, self-harm, depression, destructive relationships, chronic health issues.
Learning to manage angry feelings takes work, but the more you practice, the easier it will get. In counselling for anger management, we explore how you express your anger, or don’t, and the impact this has in your life. If you have a hot temper, you may feel like it’s out of your hands and there’s little you can do to tame the beast but you have more control over your anger than you think. Counselling can enable you to:
- Identify your patterns of behaviour around feeling angry
- Manage your angry feelings, from small irritations to fully-fledged rage
- Make safe choices about how you express angry feelings
- Learn how to make a complaint to someone else
- Set clear and consistent boundaries
- Learn how to say ‘No’ and mean it
- Explore ways to express anger physically
Learning to control your anger and express it appropriately will help you build better relationships, achieve your goals, and lead a healthier, more satisfying life.
If you would like to find out more about counselling for Anger Management,
please give me a call on 085 172 4288, and I’d be happy to discuss your situation with you.