Introduction

Anger beyond control can be a problem for health and relationships. Thankfully, some methods help you can use to help keep your anger in control. There can be different forms of anger. certain people cannot isolate themselves from an incident that triggers them. Others experience irritation much less, but when they feel it, it releases an explosion of rage. 

Whatever form it takes, anger beyond control can adversely affect emotional well-being and physical health. Research shows that hostility and anger can multiply a person’s chance of being affected by coronary heart disease, worsening the condition of a person with heart disease. Irritation can also cause stress-related problems, including headaches, digestive disorders and insomnia. 

Anger can also contribute to risky and violent behaviours, including alcohol and drug use. To summarise, anger can significantly damage family relationships, colleagues, and friends.

Impulsive Anger

Impulsive anger is an intense and sudden emotional reciprocation to a sense of frustration or threat often released as aggressive or impulsive behaviour. Individuals who go through impulsive anger can have difficulty taking control of their emotions and maintaining composure and rationality in alarming situations. This can culminate in bouts of anger, physical or verbal aggression, and other forms of impulsive behaviour that may harm themselves or others. Impulsive anger can be a symptom of many mental health issues, such as intermittent explosive disorder or borderline personality disorder. It can also manifest in individuals not diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Signs of Impulsive Anger
Yelling or shouting
Throwing or breaking objects
Physical aggression (hitting, pushing, or shoving)
Verbal threats or intimidation
Racing thoughts or difficulty concentrating
Sweating, trembling, or feeling jittery
Rapid heartbeat or increased breathing
Irritability or frustration
Inability to calm down or self-regulate
Feeling overwhelmed or out of control

Keeping Your Anger At Bay

Various external and internal events can trigger anger. You may feel angry at someone, an institution you are associated with, or petty issues like politics and traffic congestion. Whichever direction the feelings originate from, you should not let anger take your control. Following are some tips to induce calmness.

  • Check yourself

It is challenging to act intelligently when you let a strong negative feeling take over you. Instead of navigating downhill from a cliff, try not to climb on it in the first place. Try to understand alarming signs that you are beginning to feel annoyed. When you know the signs, step back from the incident or try relaxation techniques to curb your increasing irritation.

  • Don’t dwell

Certain people keep returning to the incident that triggered their anger. That is an unfruitful strategy, especially if you have already sorted out the issue that primarily triggered your anger. Instead, detach yourself from such previous incidents. One process to let that happen is to shift your focus to things you like about the person or incident that triggered your anger.

  • Restructure your thoughts

When you are angry, perceiving things in their worst state is easy. with the help of cognitive restructuring, you can swap unrequired negative ideas with more reasonable ones. Instead of thinking all is ruined, try thinking it may be wrong, but it is not the end of the world.

  • Practice relaxation

Simple relaxation strategies like a soothing image or deep breathing can calm your anger. If you often keep utilizing one or more of such strategies, It will be simpler to use them when under the influence of anger.

  • Focused breathing

Shallow breathing is one laced with anger. Practice breathing in a controlled and slow manner that you can visualize coming up your belly than your chest.

  • Progressive muscle relaxation

With the help of this technique, you tense and relax each group of muscles slowly and one at a time. For example, starting with your toes, you may slowly reach your neck and head. Here’s a video on muscle relaxation training to help you get started.

  • Work on your communication skills

People may conclude differently when under the influence of anger, thus saying whichever unkind words come to mind. Stop and try listening before any reaction. Then analyze the situation at hand and carefully put forward your reply. If stepping back is in your best interests, do that with a promise to return later with the continuing conversation.

  • Sweat it out

Physical activity at regular intervals helps release the tension, letting you accumulate stress and tension escape with exercise and reducing the chances of a sudden burst of anger.

  • Recognise (and avoid) your triggers

Think about what makes you angry. If you can relate that driving during peak hours triggers your anger, try taking public transport or schedule your driving to easy traffic hours. If you constantly argue with your partner at night, try not to bring up topics you do not like. If you are annoyed that your kid has not kept his room clean, keep the door closed so you do not have visual contact with the mess.

Conclusion

If you have a continuous overwhelming feeling, schedule a consultation with a psychologist or other professionals licensed to attend to mental health conditions. That person can help you isolate your problem areas and devise a plan for your betterment.

Impulsivity is an online hub where you can access expert help and support whenever needed. Developed by trained professionals and designed to match your own pace, our online impulsivity courses will help you better manage impulsive behaviours, like overeating, for good.

Explore all our impulsivity courses here.

Developed by a team led by Dr Yuliya Richard (a clinical psychologist specialising in Impulsivity), our courses use scientifically proven strategies to help you understand and overcome the specific impulsive behaviours affecting everyday life.

If you want to take charge of your life and manage your Impulsivity for good, we can help. Impulsivity offers a range of online courses that can guide you towards a healthier and happier life. So take our quick impulsivity test now to see if we can help!

References

  • Coccaro, E. F. (2018). Impulsive aggression: A neurobiological perspective. In The Oxford Handbook of Impulse Control Disorders (pp. 190-204). Oxford University Press.
  • Fossati, A., Borroni, S., Grazioli, F., Dornetti, L., Maffei, C., & Roth, M. (2009). Impulsivity, aggressiveness, and DSM-IV personality disorders. Psychiatry Research, 169(2), 158-161.
  • Harvard Health Publishing. (2018). Controlling anger before it controls you.  
  • Kassel, J. D., & Veilleux, J. C. (2018). Emotion regulation and impulsivity. In The Oxford Handbook of Impulse Control Disorders (pp. 128-138). Oxford University Press.
  • Mckay, D., & Arnold, M. (2013). Anger management for everyone: Seven proven ways to control anger and live a happier life. New Harbinger Publications.
  • National Institute of Mental Health. (2021). Impulsivity: What do we know? 
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021). Drug use and violence.