“As you allow the stormy water to settle, a clear vision emerges”

Do you often struggle with feelings of anger and unjust?

Do you feel your anger can go out of control and be difficult to manage?

Do you often regret things that you have said or done while angry?

Do you feel that small things can trigger you and make you upset or angry?

Anger is an innate emotion characterized by strong negative feelings resulting from mistreatment or opposition. Any event can trigger negative thoughts. Such as:

• having a bad day at work
• not feeling well
• thinking that “I have been wronged.”
• thinking that “I am being treated unfairly”
• getting cut off while driving
• a friend arriving late for a meeting
• cancellation or change in plans

Anger serves both positive as well as negative functions. From a positive perspective, anger allows us to express negative emotions and motivates us to find solutions to problems.

However, too much anger and/or difficulty controlling our anger can lead to aggressive outbursts, poor judgment, increased blood pressure and other physical stress-related problems. 

Physical sensations of anger include:

• tensing of muscles
• shaking
• heavy breathing
• clenching of fists
• flushed skin
• increase in heart rate
• increased adrenaline
• sweating
• abdominal discomfort

Anger is an emotion that needs to be expressed in healthy ways. At Scarborough Psychology Clinic, your therapist can work with you to find out your anger triggers and can help you manage angry feelings by utilizing relaxation strategies and cognitive-based therapies.

Some of the work will include:

• addressing excessive anger
• looking at unhealthy beliefs attached to anger
• understanding how anger affects our relationships
• learning how to control anger
• managing arousal that comes from anger
• developing healthy assertive skills to deal with conflicts
• learning self-calming, self-soothing and relaxation techniques