Anger Management

Anger. It’s something all of us experience. Although unpleasant, it is a normal human emotion. Is anger good? Is it bad? Should we hold it in? Let it out?

Just about everyone has heard of anger management, but do you know what anger management therapy entails? Let’s back up. First, let’s explore the ways we express our anger.

We can choose to express our anger in healthy or unhealthy ways. Frequently flying off the handle, screaming, spewing abusive words, throwing things and punching holes in the wall are obviously unhealthy expressions of anger. But so is bottling it all up inside, ruminating about what made us angry and refusing to speak to the person we’re angry with. In other words, both aggressive and passive anger are detrimental to ourselves and to others.

Unhealthy anger makes us—well—unhealthy. Headaches and stomach aches, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, anxiety, depression and impaired judgment are just a few of the health issues that can evolve from unhealthy anger. Worse yet, uncontrolled anger frequently leads to broken relationships and acts of violence.

But there is help. Anger management therapy helps us learn techniques to calm down, redirect our energy and develop healthy communication skills and coping strategies. It helps us explore the roots of our anger and recognize our triggers and physical symptoms. Group therapy for anger management provides the opportunity to share and learn from each other. Individual therapy for managing your anger is also effective.

Do you or someone you know need help managing your anger? If you’re not sure, read these nine bulleted items. Most importantly, know that you’re not alone. Just like all of our counseling and program services, Samaritan’s Anger Management Program provides hope and healing to get you to a better place—emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.