Anger is a normal human emotion that everybody experiences. As an adaptive response to threats, it enables us to defend ourselves when attacked. Contrary to our expectations, anger is not necessarily bad or inappropriate, as there are different ways of expressing anger. Controlling anger becomes a must when powerful and unforeseeable emotions get out of control and cause problems at work and with personal relationships. Getting help from a Psychologist Gold Coast can help you find less destructive ways of expressing anger and improve your quality of life.
How do you know you need anger management counselling?
It is generally a good idea calling to the services of a Psychologist Gold Coast in the following cases:
- Your anger gets often out of control;
- Rage has a negative influence on your relationships;
- Your anger has caused you to hurt others or yourself;
- Your career has been affected by your anger bursts;
- You get angry more often than the average person does and you getupset because of minor mishaps or inconveniences.
Taking an anger management quiz can help you assess whether your anger is a healthy release of emotions or not.
Anger control techniques and expressing anger
Controlling anger is almost impossible when you don’t acknowledge the need to keep your rage at bay. If most of the aforementioned situations are familiar to you, a Psychologist Gold Coast can help youacquire a set of vital anger control techniques that will improve the way you react to threats and stressors:
- Thinking differently. Our thoughts tend to become exaggerated and inflexible when we get angry. One thing you can do is changing your attitude from “Everything’s a mess and I am really angry!” to “I feel frustrated and upset about the situation, but this is not the end of the world and getting angry will not solve the problem.”
- Relaxing. Basic relaxation tools are breathing exercises (breathe deeply using the diaphragm), visualizing a pleasant experience, and slowly repeating a calming phrase several times while breathing profoundly;
- Communicating more efficiently. Instead of humiliating those around you and fighting back, it is better to be assertive, explain why their behaviour bothers you and listen to the message underlying the other person’s words, which very often is “I feel neglected and misunderstood.”
- Leaving the surroundings. Anger makes you feel trapped, and leaving the place to cool off and give yourself a break will prevent many anger bursts.
A therapist can help you learn more healthy ways of expressing anger and controlling rage, depending on your personality type and on the kind of trigger that causes your fury.
Benefits of controlling anger
Taking anger management classes will have a variety of benefits on your life and personal relationships. Statistics say that it takes about 8 to 10 sessions to make a major difference in the way you express anger.
As a result of your anger controlling therapy sessions with a Psychologist Gold Coast, you will be able to make better decisions when you feel angry, experience less stress, diminish the amplitude of conflicts, communicate more efficiently, improve your personal relationships, and become more empathetic. People learning how to manage their anger also have fewer health problems such as headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure or digestive disorders.
Controlling anger will stop being an impossible challenge with the help of an expert!