Anger is a natural emotional response that can serve a useful purpose in life by alerting us to issues that need to be addressed. In some cases, people use it as a tool to bring attention to issues about which they care deeply. Clearly, anger isn’t always harmful. However, certain conditions fall under the category of a life-disrupting anger disorder. The stress of an unresolved anger issue can cause or worsen existing health problems, especially when the anger is inwardly directed. Suppressed anger can manifest as sickness, anxiety, or worsening addictions. Promptly addressing any anger issue can prevent unnecessary harm. Anger management therapy is often the best option for those struggling with an anger disorder.
At Red Oak Recovery®, we’re proud to offer a range of treatment options for men suffering from addictions.
Addressing Your Anger Issues With Mental Health Treatment
Healthily managing your anger doesn’t amount to never getting mad. Instead, it involves learning how to recognize, cope with, and constructively express emotions. Regulating anger is a skill that needs to be learned by every individual to operate successfully in the world. Some people never correctly understood how to master this necessary skill along the way, and helping them master it can profoundly positively affect other aspects of their life.
In a clinical setting, a patient will acquire anger management skills through various mental health treatment techniques. This treatment can set the patient up with solid foundational skills required to manage their anger outside of treatment.
Coping Skills You’ll Learn in Anger Management Rehab
Anger becomes an obvious problem when you express it toward others in an unhealthy manner, putting a strain on all aspects of your life. Often, a problem dealing with anger is merely a symptom of a more significant psychological issue. Anger management strategies learned in a therapeutic setting are incredibly beneficial.
Men’s anger management treatment programs are beneficial for men who feel more comfortable dealing with issues around other men. If you think you will benefit more from a men’s anger management program than a mixed-gender environment, you’re probably right. Fortunately, we offer a range of coping skills for anger management at our treatment center.
Recognizing Warning Signals
Individual reactions differ, but typical physiological responses include:
- Red face
- Chest tightening
- Increased blood pressure
- Clenched teeth or fists
- Breath quickening
You learn to recognize your particular signals of an upcoming outburst. Then, you can begin implementing some of the anger management strategies you know to cool down before it gets out of control.
Learning Behavioral Skills to Change Old Thinking Patterns
Restructuring thinking patterns involves learning not to catastrophize and negatively exaggerate events in our life by jumping to conclusions or ruminating. When you begin to see things from a rational stance, it becomes clear that these ingrained ways of thinking are reinforcing powerful negative emotions.
As you learn to think about your thoughts, you can tweak them in a way that allows you to view situations from a less emotionally charged perspective. For example, you may become angry because you think someone chose to hurt you. Still, when you step outside to evaluate the situation, it becomes apparent the decision they made wasn’t intended to hurt you. It can be tough to change ingrained ways of thinking, especially with addiction is in the equation. However, with behavioral therapies like CBT, you learn the tools to see events in your life more clearly.
Identifying Triggers
Identifying triggers involves being mindful and paying attention where you haven’t before. Keeping a log of the fluctuation in your moods can be a valuable strategy to see possible connections between your anger. Certain people, places, and situations are unavoidable, so it’s best to use the other coping strategies you’ll learn for those.
However, some triggers aren’t essential to your well-being. Limiting engagement with those triggers may be a better option. You can restructure your schedule, avoiding places and people that encourage you to lose your temper. Sometimes specific topics of conversations need to be kept brief, or situations cut off politely but directly before things get heated.
Mastering Relaxation Methods
Relaxation methods like breathing exercises and meditation can seem like they don’t work. If you aren’t open to the idea, they won’t have a chance to work. It’s essential to keep an open mind and be prepared to do the work to make specific methods work for you. Some productive hobbies and activities also promote relaxation, such as gardening and artistic pursuits. Picking up relaxing activities can help you refocus instead of ruminating over the situations or people driving your anger.
Focusing On Health
A general sense of well-being can make the world around you seem less threatening and harsh. The body and mind are connected, after all. Good health facilitates clear thinking and increases mental focus. Concentrating on health means making incremental changes you can stick with outside of treatment. The best health plan often revolves around sleep, exercise, and nutrition. When differences become cemented during the recovery process, the angry outbursts may appear less frequently and severely.
Get Help With Managing Anger Today at Red Oak Recovery®
Untreated anger issues have profoundly negative consequences, leading to hardships for you and those closest to you. Anger causes individuals to lash out verbally or physically. Violence is never acceptable, and the responsibility lies on the individual to get the help they need to control their anger before regrettable actions occur. Please call 866.457.7590 today to speak to one of our treatment specialists.
