Grand Rapids – Anger Management

Understanding Anger

Anger is an emotion that everyone has experienced at some point in their life, and will continue to experience throughout their lives. Anger can stem from other feelings such as being frustrated, hurt, or confused. Anger can be a response to something an individual has done himself/herself or it can be a response to an action of another individual, meaning that both internal events and external events can cause anger. It is completely normal to feel angry at times, and is even considered a healthy emotion in most instances if it is done correctly. It is important to express your emotions, even anger but it is also important to know the healthy way to express your anger. Anger can be expressed a number of different ways and can vary in intensities. Some people are able to calmly discuss what is making them angry, some people yell, others may throw things or respond in an aggressive way. Being able to control and manage your anger is the key to knowing how to express your anger in a healthy way.

Can I Benefit From Anger Management?

There are psychological tests that can be done to measure if someone gets angry more than the average person or is more aggressive than the average person. However, no one knows better than you and those closest to you if anger management can be beneficial to you. Difficulties controlling your anger can negatively impact your life in many different ways. Lack of ability to control your anger can impact your personal health, relationships, your occupation, and many other areas of your life. Ask yourself some of these questions and if you answer yes to some of them then anger management may be right for you!

Do I get angry at small things that others do not seem angered by?
Do I get in arguments frequently with friends, family, or other individuals?
Do I act aggressively when I get angry?
Do I hold in feelings of anger often?
Do those close to me tell me I have a problem with controlling my anger?
Has my temper had a negative impact on my relationships?
Do I have physical symptoms when I get angry (ex: muscle tension, heavy breathing, or rapid heartbeat)?
Do others feel like they are walking on eggshells around you?

While this is not a complete list of signs that you may benefit from anger management, if you experience these or others similar to these, anger management may be just the thing you need!

What is Anger Management?

Anger management helps people do exactly what the name entails, manage their anger. Managing your anger includes several different components. Anger management helps people learn how to prevent, control, and express their anger in a positive way. Professionals at each of our locations help individuals do this by using mindfulness techniques such as relaxation and meditation to help individuals learn to relax before responding in a negative, angry, aggressive way. Individuals learn about themselves to help identify what triggers their anger, what strengths and weaknesses they have, and how to monitor their behavior. Along with working with individuals on themselves to develop new ways to express themselves our professionals work with individuals on improving their relationships. Techniques are used to improve communication skills, both with listening and understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings and with describing and expressing one’s own feelings.