Anger

We all get angry from time to time, and we recognise how anger feels: your blood pressure rises, you get an adrenalin rush and your heart races, you feel tense and struggle to think about anything else.

Anger is a normal reaction to feeling hurt, rejected, frustrated or unfairly treated. When under control, anger can motivate you to defend yourself. It can help you to overcome difficulties and lets other people know how you feel.

But anger can become a problem if you lose control. It can impact negatively on your relationships as people become afraid of your temper and keep their distance. You may find you are unable to think clearly or find solutions to problems. The physical effects of unresolved anger may make you unwell.

The inability to control anger can also be a symptom of other issues, such as depressed mood, anxiety, post traumatic stress or substance misuse.

Do you recognise these common signs of anger?

What you feel:

  • Irritability
  • Anger
  • Threatened

What you think:

  • I'm being treated unfairly
  • I'm being disrespected
  • They're breaking a rule or standard
  • I won't stand for it

What happens to your body:

  • Heart racing or pounding - enabling good blood supply around our bodies
  • Breathing quickly - allowing more oxygen to flow around the body
  • Tense muscles - a state of readiness to fight or flee
  • Shaking
  • Hot feeling, sweating
  • Lightheaded
  • Stomach churning or butterflies
  • Fist or teeth clenching
  • Physical urge to go towards whatever is making us angry

What you do:

  • Staring and facial expression
  • Aggressive body posture
  • Move towards what is making you angry
  • Attack
  • Hit out, or have the urge to hit out
  • Argue
  • Shout
  • Run or storm away
  • Don't talk
  • Sulk

The more symptoms you recognise, the more likely you are to be experiencing anger which is having an effect on your life.

If you think your anger may be a symptom of other stresses, depressed mood, post traumatic stress or substance misuse, and you are ready to make changes to improve your wellbeing, then we may be able to help:

You can also find more information on NHS Choices and in Our useful resources and links.