Managing Anger
Anger or irritability are emotions that can be present throughout your day. Some of the
things that may cause your anger are stress, unfair treatment or feeling attacked. Brene
Brown defines anger as, “an emotion that we feel when something gets in the way of a
desired outcome or when we believe there’s a violation of the way things should be.
“Atlas of the Heart” (Brown,2021) Below are some options of ways to cope through your
anger to manage it when or before it occurs:
● Identifying emotions- Anger can be labeled as a secondary emotion because it
highlights there are other emotions that are occurring surrounding a situation but
most human beings will summarize all their emotions as anger. One way to
regulate anger, and any emotion, is to identify as specifically as you can how you
are feeling. It can be helpful to find an emotion log or emotion tracking app that
can provide you with different emotions to best choose based on the situation
surrounding anger and how you are feeling. A few emotion identification apps are
“Daylio” or “How We Feel” or you can search mood logs in your app store to find one
that best fits your needs.
● Use diversions- Create a list of diversions outside of a situation where you are
angry. Such diversions could be: going for a walk, reading a book, watching
TV/videos/ a movie, writing or journaling, doing a craft or hobby, listening to
music, cooking or baking. Keep this list on your refrigerator or in a central
location that you can easily see so that when you are triggered by your anger you
will be able to access these items to use to distract away from the anger.
● Take a break- Oftentimes when we are angry it is in a situation involving another
person. In these moments it is best to take a break from the situation by letting the
person know and trying one of the diversions above. Once you feel as if your
anger is regulated, then you can reconnect with the person to continue the
conversation. If you notice your anger persists, it helps to continue to take breaks
or set aside a time the next day to talk more about the situation at hand.
● Be mindful when your anger is building If you are aware of your warning signs
to anger, you can catch it sooner than later to prevent a reaction you do not want to
happen.
Some warning signs to anger are:
○ sweating
○ becoming argumentative
○ clenched fists
○ using verbal insults,
○ temperature changes in your body
○ pacing
If you notice that anger is a persistent problem that you are experiencing, it could be
helpful to reach out to a licensed therapist to meet with regularly to discuss your
emotions and what triggers are causing your anger to occur. To set up an appointment
with a licensed therapist you can contact our front office staff at 440-392-2222.
Stephanie Cerula, LPCC
Clinical Counselor
The Behavioral Wellness Group
8224 Mentor Ave #208 Mentor OH 44060
P: 440 392 2222 #404 F: 440 565 2349
scerula@behavioralwellnessgroup.com
www.behavioralwellnessgroup.com