Anger is an empowering emotion if used constructively

Anger is a natural emotion that is essential for our well being. The physiological effects of anger provide us with a boost of energy usually when we perceive a threat or challenge in order to help us make a flight or fight response. However, anger can cause us difficulties when it either becomes too frequent, too intense or when it lasts for too long.

Although it feels as though we have an outburst for no particular reason, this is not the case. There is always a trigger. Some event, or comment will be perceived by us as an attack, or will push our buttons because of some other event in our past. This will then trigger the physiological responses and we become angry.

Anger causes us to be stressed and the more stressed we are the more easily we become angry. This can lead us into a downwards spiral where we find we are constantly shouting, or losing our temper. We tend to vent our anger in relationships where we feel safe, so often our closest family suffers the most.

How can counselling help?
A counsellor can help you to identify your particular trigger(s) and help you to understand why that event has such an impact on you. They can help you to see the event from a different perspective. A counsellor can also help you to explore how you could deal with the situations that make you angry more effectively.