Learn Anger Management Skills for a Happier Life
Has anyone ever told you that you always look angry, irritated, or frustrated? Are you constantly feeling frustrated and angry?
Do you snap at others, usually an innocent family members or partner, over seemingly trivial matter?
Do you have a quick-temper, a short-fuse, a low anger threshold, or a nominal tolerance for (perceived) criticism.
Perhaps it’s your loved ones who are chronically angry and frustrated. In either case, it will serve you and your loved ones well to peruse this post.
In this article, we will look at the often hidden, harmful effects of chronic anger, irritation, and frustration on our mental, emotional, and physical health. We will also show the tremendous benefits of learning anger management skills for yourself, your children, teens, and loved ones
Anger Management for Children
If schools teach anger management classes, occurrences of disruptive acts and displays of maladaptive behaviours would reduce significantly. There would be happier students (not to mention tranquil teachers as well) and schools will become a more conducive place for learning.
Educators would be able to focus their time and energy on imparting their knowledge and not getting upset and wasting precious time handling raucous outbursts and unruly behaviour by irate students.
When these children grow up, armed with anger management skills, they become calmer teens and adults and will be in a far better position to cope with the turbulence of a fast-paced, hectic, and demanding live.
Anger Management for Teens
When I think of teenagers, the phrase “neither here nor there” came to mind, follow closely by “raging hormones”.
Puberty is a time of drastic changes. The exuberant brain and physical growth; girls developing into women while boys become men (an odd few would remain as boys. Just kidding.) Adults expect them to exercise better self-control; to behave more rationally, more responsibly, and more, dare I say, adult-like. However, attributing to the callowness of youth, these teens are often times denied the power and freedom to make their own decisions by those very same adults.
Adding to the woes are greater societal expectations, academic stresses, hormonal changes, emotional upheaval (a.k.a mood swings), and BGR (boy-girl-relationships). It’s little wonder that teens feel angrier and more frustrated these days.
Learning anger management skills allow our teens to better understand themselves and appreciate others; to better manage this difficult time in their lives. Equipping our teens with the necessary anger management skills empowers them, helping them gain greater discernment in the nature and inter-dependence of human relationships; of social responsibility as well as acquire crucial insights into human psychology.
Speak when you are angry – and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.
Anger Management for Adults
In the 21st century, adults face a multi-pronged avalanche of ever-increasing (unrealistic) expectations, demands, dilemmas, and responsibilities on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately, these sources of stress, anger, and frustration are unlikely to let up anytime soon in the foreseeable future. So what can we do to save ourselves from the abyss of anger and irritation? How can we ease the gut-wrenching frustration we often feel?
If anger is an evolutionary trait which primary function is for our survival – the fight in the fight/flight response. It begs the question of just how often are our lives seriously threatened in this modern age? And how useful are anger and frustration in helping us resolve the problems we face? Is getting angry the only way, the most effective method to solve problems or does it complicates issues further? Is anger helping or damaging?
Numerous scientific researches have clearly illustrated the harmful effects chronic anger has on our health.
… anger in young adulthood emerged as a predictor of premature heart disease. Compared with their peers, the angriest medical students were six times more likely to suffer heart attacks by 55 and three times more likely to develop any form of cardiovascular disease.
– Harvard Medical School, Family Health Guide. Anger: Heartbreaking at any age.
An article published by the British Cardiovascular Society stated that:
Anger and hostility were found to predict a 19 per cent and 24 per cent increase in coronary heart disease events among initially healthy people and those with pre-existing coronary heart disease respectively.
– Dr Yoichi Chida, of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London
If you are a parent with anger issues, besides the ill-effects to your personal health, you may inadvertently instil a maladaptive behaviour in your child(ren). What you are essentially demonstrating to your kids is that it is all right to use anger to bully, threaten, intimidate, retaliate, or manipulate others to get your way. Let us keep in mind that parents are their children’s first and primary role-models – angry grown-ups begets angry children.
An angry person’s mental and emotional distresses are usually inconspicuous but potentially more damaging. Unaware of appropriate ways in managing his/her anger, exacerbated by cognitive errors and inadequate coping strategies, anger intensifies further with dire consequences. Eventually, anger is convulsively expressed in such destructive behaviours as verbal abuse, physical violence, binge-eating and alcohol abuse, excessive smoking, and substance/drug abuse.
Job losses, and strained relationships too are corollary of a fiery temper.
When we learn to see the truth about irritability, anger, and frustration, we will realize the absurdity in engaging and dwelling in them.
If you or your loved ones are experiencing anger issues, it is prudent that you or your loved ones seek professional assistance. A qualified therapist is able to prescribe an appropriate treatment plan accordingly.
Learning to manage our anger and frustration is an invaluable skill. It is well worth your time and effort, and its benefits are immeasurable. The sooner we learn and practice these skills in our daily lives, the sooner we reap the reward of a happier, more serene and tranquil lives.
