Sandy Piacente is a Certified Anger Management Specialist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor listed in the National Anger Management Specialist Directory: www.namass.org
Anger management:
Be aware of your anger warning signs and triggers
While you might feel that you just explode into anger without warning, in fact, there are physical warning signs in your body. Anger is a normal physical response. It fuels the “fight or flight” system of the body, and the angrier you get, the more your body goes into overdrive. Becoming aware of your own personal signs that your temper is starting to boil allows you to take steps to manage your anger before it gets out of control.
Pay attention to the way anger feels in your body
- Knots in your stomach
- Clenching your hands or jaw
- Feeling clammy or flushed
- Breathing faster
- Headaches
- Pacing or needing to walk around
- “Seeing red”
- Having trouble concentrating
- Pounding heart
- Tensing your shoulders
Identify the negative thought patterns that trigger your temper
You may think that external things—the insensitive actions of other people, for example, or frustrating situations—are what cause your anger. But anger problems have less to do with what happens to you than how you interpret and think about what happened. Common negative thinking patterns that trigger and fuel anger include:
- Overgeneralizing. For example, “You always interrupt me. You NEVER consider my needs. EVERYONE disrespects me. I NEVER get the credit I deserve.”
- Obsessing on “shoulds” and “musts.” Having a rigid view of the way things should or must be and getting angry when reality doesn’t line up with this vision.
- Mind reading and jumping to conclusions. Assuming you “know” what someone else is thinking or feeling—that he or she intentionally upset you, ignored your wishes, or disrespected you.
- Collecting straws. Looking for things to get upset about, usually while overlooking or blowing past anything positive. Letting these small irritations build and build until you reach the “final straw” and explode, often over something relatively minor.
- Blaming. When anything bad happens or something goes wrong, it’s always someone else’s fault. You blame others for the things that happen to you rather than taking responsibility for your own life.
Helping Hand Counseling Center offers Anger Management Sessions and Classes which include:
- solutions to anger problems
- understanding the nature of anger
- anger management skills & concepts
- the role of communication
- assertiveness training
- the role of consequences for behaviors
- Certificate of Completion for sessions and classes
Please feel free to call with any questions you have.
Phone: 954-882-1066
Get your life together by calling today.
Helping Hand Counseling Center in Sunrise, Florida
Flexible hours and reasonable fees!
Phone: 954-882-1066
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have!
Thank you,
Sandy Piacente, LMHC
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