Finding the Fuel Behind Your Anger
Steven Craig Semones II - PCA-Intern

May 16, 2018

Do you ever let your emotions run rampant? Have you ever found yourself wishing you may have done something different? That one remark or outburst may have hurt a potential promotion at work, strained a relationship that really means a lot to you, and it could have even caused others to withdraw from being around you. When you look in the mirror and you see who you currently are staring back at you. Is this the person you really want to be?

It is important to understand that anger is a normal and healthy emotion. Emotions are within a person to convey a message to others of how they are feeling. When it comes to anger it is important to manage that anger before it becomes harmful to you or others. Many people believe that anger is justified. They even give it more justification with sayings such as “I don’t mind speaking my mind”, “No one is going to tell me what to do” and you may even be able to quote a few for yourself. In all actuality anger is more likely to damage relationships, cloud your judgement, harm your advancement within your career, and distort the way people see you.

When it comes to seeking help to gain skills to manage your anger this is not a process that is built to help remove anger from your life. Getting angry is not the objective of anger management because anger is normal and it will show itself in your life. The goal of anger management is to be able to acknowledge what messages are behind the emotion and be able to express it in a healthy and a more productive way. What fuels your anger is really what anger management tries to define. Further tools that can be learned through anger management will  help you be able to better manage your anger. Don’t let your anger manage your life but lets take a stand by facing your anger head on to see what truly fuels your anger. According to “The core principle behind this approach to anger management is that increases in emotional range not only down regulate anger but also lead to greater capacity for reasoned thought and responsible behavior. Similarly, increases in emotional awareness provide a foundation for self-monitoring, which in turn increases one’s capacity for self-governance” (p. 453-454).

If you find that anger is starting to manage your life and causing many destructive outcomes. Please do not wait one more day to make a change. It is never to late and you can start to take that step to manage your anger today. If you would like one of our wonderful providers to come along side you to help walk with you while learning to manage your anger. Please call Palmetto Counseling Associates. We will find the right provider that can help you expose the fuel behind your anger and help develop tools that you can use to manage your anger. Please reach out today either by calling (803) 254-9767 or reaching out to set up an appointment on our website at palmettocounseling.com. You do not have to let your anger control you, but you can learn to control your anger.

References

Short, D. (2016). The evolving science of anger management. Journal Of Psychotherapy

Integration, 26(4), 450-461. doi:10.1037/int0000059