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Anger is a normal, healthy emotion to have. In fact, it is an evolutionary trait that was originally designed to help you respond to a threat. However, while a natural emotion, some people simply do not know how to control their anger and as a result their anger controls them. Fortunately, anger can be controlled with simple anger management strategies.

What is Anger?
Anger is an emotional state that involves feelings of hostility, rage and annoyance. It can be caused by both internal and external factors and can be mild, moderate or severe. When you experience anger your mind and body undergo changes. For example, your adrenaline and noradrenaline levels increase, your blood pressure goes up and your muscles tense up. Your psychological state also changes when you experience anger. Your irrational inhibitions decrease and you become more aggressive towards others. If you are interested in prevention strategies for high blood pressure and personal injuries caused by anger-induced aggressive behaviors, then you need to adopt one or more anger management strategies.

Anger Management Strategies
Because each person responds to their anger differently, there are several different anger management strategies that you can adopt. The most effective techniques for managing your anger when you have a disability are going to help you to transition from an aggressive response to anger to an assertive response to anger. They will also help you to confront your anger and deal with the emotion head on, instead of allowing you to bury your anger and leave it unexpressed.

The first technique of anger management is to learn how to relax. Anger can be triggered by stress or it can produce excess stress. When you feel anger building up you can exercise a relaxation technique such as taking deep breathes, counting backward from ten, using positive imagery or completing a yoga sequence. By using a relaxation technique, you reduce the amount of physical stress that is impacting your body and you reduce the emotional and psychological arousal caused by your initial anger.

Another technique that you can use to control your anger is called cognitive restructuring. This strategy most likely will require the help of a mental health professional and involves relearning how to deal with stress and anger. It will utilize exercises and behavior modification techniques that will help recreate your response mechanisms to anger and negative stimuli. The third technique that you can use for anger management is changing your environment. If there are certain triggers for your anger in your environment, then you can remove these triggers, or at least reduce the amount of exposure you have to these trigger items. For example, if traffic is your trigger then consider taking the bus or ride along with someone else so it is not your responsibility to deal with the traffic. You can also try taking a different route or changing when you drive to help reduce your overall exposure to your anger trigger.

Anger management is a skill that everyone can benefit from regardless of their age, sex or occupation. To get the best results from an anger management strategy you will need to practice it and make adjustments as you grow. If you feel that you cannot control your anger even when you use one of the above anger management strategies, then you may need the help of a licensed counselor who specializes in anger management. 

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