While anger is a normal, usually healthy, human emotion, constant or uncontrollable anger can be devastating. When out of control emotions turn destructive, you might find yourself facing problems in every corner of your life: at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your health. For those who have always known that they have a problem with their anger, confronting difficult situations and emotions can make you feel as though you're at the mercy of unpredictable and powerful forces within. Perhaps you know why you react as you do, but perhaps you do not -- many people with anger issues feel like something just takes over sometimes.
Or perhaps you feel consistently taken advantage of, belittled or betrayed. Perhaps you are what some people call “sensitive” or even “over-sensitive” and you find yourself routinely feeling hurt, traumatized, or angered, but you have the social sensitivity to retreat rather than rage in public. Can an intelligent person who doesn’t scream, swear, or smash things have an anger management issue? Of course they can. Many people react to chronic anger by withdrawing socially, feeling chronically irritable and grumpy, or getting physically ill. Depression, anxiety, susbstance abuse, and self-destructive behaviors are all commons manifestations of "stuffed" anger expression.
The truth is most people who have problems managing their anger have experienced some type of emotional pain or trauma in their life. If you find yourself acting in ways that seem out of control and frightening, you might need help finding better ways to deal with this emotion. You are not alone in the struggle, however. You can learn "how to be angry”, rather than "not to be angry" or “how to pretend you’re not angry”. And when you are ready to do something about it, we have several ways to help you.