Anger
Do I Have an Anger Problem?
Do you find yourself irritable?
Do you raise your voice?
Do you find yourself in frequent arguments?
Is it easy to criticize or use sarcasm?
Do you give others the “silent treatment?”
Are you self-critical?
Do you feel unappreciated or do you find it difficult to stop dwelling on mistreatment, injustices or prior failures?
Do you use threats or your physical presence to dominate another? (If your partner uses this approach, this approach needs to be stopped before counseling).
Do you ever get physically aggressive on others or property? (If your partner uses this approach, this approach needs to be stopped before counseling).
Do you engage in possibly dangerous behavior?
Do you experience fatigue, pain, or sleeplessness?
Do you have distinct episodes of feeling on edge, shaky, or a pounding heart, shortness of breath, or tightness in your chest?
Do your hands feel cold or clammy, or your mouth dry, stomach upset, or do you have urinary frequency, or trouble swallowing?
Fueled by stress hormones, you may feel so frustrated with a situation that you cannot stop thinking about it, or acting in ways that are not satisfying. Goals at Blair Counseling include knowing how to handle a situation and reduce stress levels. We are also certified to complete anger evaluations and anger management sessions for court.
Anger combines cardiopulmonary symptoms with a narrowed focus on a problematic situation. You may feel that you cannot stop dwelling on disturbing situations. Even without one’s awareness, hyperventilation leads to increased alkalinity of nerve cells leaving one feeling nervous or excitable. It also decreases the availability of carbon dioxide leading to increased heart palpitations, blood flow, increased muscle tension and unusual sensations. This response affects judgment and impulse control. Anger is meant to energize, but may lead you to act in counterproductive ways. Treatment at Blair Counseling includes relaxation techniques, stress management, and finding the best way to accomplish your goals in a given situation.
Copyright © Dan Blair 2020
One person put it this way, “You know the feeling, the rush when you feel taller than a mountain and stronger than superman, every single muscle and nerve is on red alert, you tingle all over and you believe that you could take on the whole Green Bay Packers team and win!” (Carole J. Thompson). Adrenaline in your brain triggers a cascade of biochemical reactions and natural opioids in the brain. Adults and kids feel the rush and the power of a fight, either verbal or physical. In this state you can quickly justify your perception and actions. When you feel calmer you may be regretful.
Anger is most problematic in relationships. Four common styles of anger in relationships include chronic anger, the adrenaline drunk, the pleaser, and the avoider. The first two are more aggressive, and the second two are more passive-aggressive. Chronic anger is known for a readiness for a fight, looking out for number one, injunctives to get out of my face and out of my space, and they want to get even. Being adrenaline drunk additionally compromises the brains ability to use empathy, creativity, humor, logic and memory. Pleasers have difficulty saying “no” and sticking up for themselves. Resentment builds over time. An avoidant style puts up a wall in relationships to avoid conflict. Fearing that things could get worse, emotions are avoided.
Blame is an essential component of anger. We blame others or we blame ourselves. Empathy on the other hand creates a connection between two people. The brain uses mirror neurons to develop empathy. Empathy is about someone else’s needs, and anger is about your needs. Too much empathy and you can get run over, and too much anger and you do the running over. In any event, abusive relationships should not be given empathy or tolerated.
Now that we can peer inside the activity of a brain we know a lot more how it works. Without naming parts of the brain and their functions, I will quote one summary of the brain: “Think of the brain as a survival machine, and anger as a survival enhancing emotion” (Ron Potter-Efron, in a 2012 lecture). This means the brain uses emotions to enhance survival and prepare for threats. Fear and anger run along the same pathways in the brain, also known as the fight or flight autonomic nervous system, or sympathetic nervous system. Our brain can generate instant energy in 1/20th of a second, before we can even realize it (at 1/2 of a second), sub-consciously pre-directing our behavior.
Before you even feel anger, signals in your brain prepare your muscles for instant actions, and then a flood of stress hormones trigger instant responses in your body. Heart rate and blood pressure increases, airways in the lungs expand, and blood flows away from the digestive system. Fight or flight, the sympathetic nervous system is the opposite of the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the rest and digest system.
Furthermore, the process of an adrenaline rush instantly overrides the conscious part of our brain that is able to put on the brakes, see the impact of your behavior and words on others, switch gears, see options and other points of view, and accelerate toward appropriate course of action. Creativity, humor, empathy, logic, and memory is compromised.
Over time, the brain selects memories that are the most intense as a guide for future action. So, over time, events colored by anger and fear distorts accurate recall and may inaccurately predict the future. You may be perceiving threat when there is no threat. This is commonly called a trigger and it leads to anxiety. In fact, anxiety attacks can be contribute to temper loss.
Other causes of an angry brain include neurotransmitters, hormones, epigenetics including family and cultural training, and brain injury. (Ron Potter-Efron, 2012). Anger and stress hormones are related to lowered immunity, cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, cancer, pain, and substance use. Contributing factors can include ADHD, depression, anxiety, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, substance use, fatigue, low blood sugar, hyperthyroidism and other medical conditions.
Since anger is associated with perceived threat researchers have found that a sense of safety is the best anger inhibitor. Creating a sense of safety involves a number of strategies. Lowering stress levels, practicing calming techniques before getting angry, and responding to triggers differently is crucial.
Starting with prevention, we can identify sources of stress and triggers. Sources of stress are too many to list, but often are associated with pressure and conflict at home, academic or work pressures, unknown medical, diet and sleep issues, sensory issues, history of trauma and abuse, loss, mood disorders, anxiety, attention-deficits, and substance use. Reducing these stressors and effective coping strategies may be the most important step in reducing anger and aggression. It is stabilizing for an individual to have their own sense of accomplishment, connection to others, enjoyment, and self-care, memorialized by the acronym “ACES.”
Accomplishment
- Routines and rhythm of life
- Meaningful work that gives you a feeling of accomplishment
- Expectations: wishes or realistic? Within your control?
- Make a list
- Prioritize it and put it in a schedule
Connection
- Time with positive friends, family, faith, pets, and community
- Humor
- Random act of kindness
- Ask for help
- Grieve and forgive
Enjoyment
- Gratitude
- Google “hobbies”
- Laughter
- Excitement
- The great outdoors
Self-care
- Sleep hygiene
- Healthy eating habits
- Exercise
- Regular breaks
- Pay attention to emotions and needs
Another way to reduce stress is calming techniques which require repeated practice.
Awareness of the feeling of energy in your body, before it is overwhelming. Are you able to catch it and lower it? Are you able to feel other emotions besides anger? These emotions may be driving your anger. Mindfulness is building a relationship with these emotions listening to them in an accepting, curious and compassionate way.
• Breathing techniques include belly breathing, deep breathing using your diaphragm. Many do not realize they hyperventilate, which leads to emotional reactivity, insufficient carbon dioxide, and a higher pH level in the blood. To lessen the intake of oxygen and balance with carbon dioxide, breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Breathe out slower than you breath in. Your stomach should extend, not your chest. For kids, you can also use balloons, bubbles, or “hot cocoa breathing” (pretending to smell hot chocolate and gently blowing it so that it cools).
• Calming Techniques employ the five senses to relax the body. Sounds include music or relaxing sounds. For sight, look at pictures or track movement. For touch, objects of different textures can be used, a change of clothes, a blanket, or a bath (with lavender). Tastes include favorite flavors and textures (sweet, crunchy, spicy, and sour). Even focusing on pleasurable scents can be relaxing.
• Distraction Techniques are anything that effectively holds your attention for some time until the adrenaline can metabolize. Walking or counting backwards seems especially helpful, drawing blood flow away from the brain’s alarm system.
• Expression Techniques express anger in non-destructive ways. Exercise or other activity can put the adrenaline to good use and a by-product is carbon dioxide.
In addition to reducing stress, triggers need to be identified. We can use self-talk to respond to triggers. For example: Is it worth it? Don’t respond right now. This too shall pass. Keep your breathing even. Anger is a huge energy drain.
Triggers are deeper then just self-talk. Triggers are painful and anger (and anxiety) attempts to protect us or numb us. Unwilling to feel emotional pain, we stay angry. Emotional pain includes fear, helplessness, sadness and others. Deeper levels of pain include inadequacy, rejection and abandonment.
How do we prepare for triggers? We can start by identifying the pain under the anger. Often it is a fear of inadequacy or rejection. We can expect it to be ready for it. The brain is designed to manage emotions by connecting with others. If that doesn’t work we go to fight, flight or shut down.
How we handle anger is learned. Models of past or current relationships are internalized. How did you see family members respond to anger? How did family members respond to your emotions? This creates a pattern on how you respond to your anger and emotions.
What kind of responses to we actually need for the hurt underneath the anger?
- Recognition of emotion
- Accepting emotion
- Understanding emotion
- Communicating emotion
- Kindness
I can summarize how to minimize anger by referring to the five universal truths of human interaction according to The book Verbal Judo by George Thompson and Jerry Jenkins.
1. All people want to be treated with respect.
2. All people want to be asked rather than told to do something.
3. All people want to be informed as to why they are being asked or ordered to do something.
4. All people want options rather than threats.
5. Finally, people want a second chance when they make a mistake.
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This confidential screening is for adult completion. It is not diagnostic and shall not be interpreted to indicate the need for treatment. It is not a substitute for clinical evaluation.