How To Manage Anger In Ourselves And Others

Has your anger been hijacking your life for as long as you can remember? Or do you know someone who needs help managing their anger? In either case, before jumping into the process of anger management, it is important to understand what it is and what causes it.

Anger is a natural, normal and completely healthy human emotion that is mostly used to convey a message. Although you can use anger to convey a message in some situations, mismanaged anger can affect your personal, professional and social life.

Some people believe that venting your anger is healthy and those who consider it too much are being too sensitive. However, it is important to understand that anger is most likely to have a negative impact on the way people see you, impair your judgment, and get in the way of success.

In this blog, we talk about the negative effects of anger on your health, myths regarding anger management and some tips to help you manage your anger.

Effects Of Anger

Chronic anger is something that you have to deal with as soon as possible. Constant flare ups and spiralling out of control due to anger can have serious consequences not only on the way people perceive and deal with you but also on your health. Here are a few consequences you will have to deal with if you have anger management issues.

• Being in a constant state of agitation and stress will make you susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, a weakened immune system, insomnia, and high blood pressure.
• Anger consumes a lot of your mental energy, this makes it difficult to concentrate on other important parts of your life.
• It can induce stress, depression and other mental health issues.
• Mismanaged anger might cause you to lash out on your colleagues, supervisors, or clients which will have a negative impact on your career.
• Anger issues can erode your relationships and get in the way of friendships.

Anger Management Myths

Like many other topics, there are several myths related to anger management that people believe in and act upon. Some of these myths that might have an adverse effect on your life are:

It Is Okay To Let It All Out

When it comes to anger, many people believe in venting and letting it all out. You might have heard that holding in your anger is unhealthy. While that may be true in some cases, you should understand that it is not okay to let your anger out in an aggressive way.

Aggression Earns Respect

It is mind boggling how many people actually believe in this. Respect does not come from bullying others. It might scare them into obeying you if you are in a position of power but this is not respect.

You Cannot Control Anger

This is not true. You cannot control the situation you are in but you can certainly control how it makes you feel and the way you react. All you need to do is manage your emotions.

How Can Anger Management Help?

When we talk about anger management, people believe that it is about suppressing your anger. However, that is not the case. Setting a goal that you will never get angry again is not healthy. Anger will come out regardless of how hard you try to hold it in.

Dealing with anger focuses on developing an understanding of the effects of anger on conflict situations. The true goal of anger management is not to suppress feelings of anger, but rather to understand the message behind the emotion and express it in a healthy way without losing control.

Mediation services offer several anger management and conflict resolution courses that can help you deal with these issues.

In these courses, the participants have the opportunity to increase self-awareness about their own patterns and beliefs about anger. Interactive exercises, group discussions and videos are used to teach specific skills and concepts that help participants to learn both about managing their own anger and responding to another’s anger effectively.

About Mediation Services

Mediation Services has been providing services in mediation and conflict resolution since 1979. Our mission is to empower individuals in conflict, create safe spaces for difficult conversations, and build capacity for future conflict. Mediation Services is a non-profit organization with a social enterprise. We receive funding through Manitoba Justice for our court diversion referrals and from United Way to subsidize our costs for family and community conflict resolutions. Our training programs build skills in conflict management, leadership, and mediation. Contact us for more information about our services.