Anger Management Fact Sheets

Anger management fact sheets can be used in several settings including the workplace, doctor's offices, and counseling centers. Many different types of information can be included on these types of fact sheets and they can be useful for individuals who need assistance managing their anger.

Anger can be stressful.

Anger Management Facts

Anger is an emotion that everyone feels. Whether you're frustrated with something or someone, anger may appear as a means to show that frustration. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to control his or her emotions, which can lead to physical violence or other equally destructive behavior. In order to understand what anger is, it is helpful to understand the physiological effects of this emotion.

When you become angry, the following things can occur in your body:

• Blood pressure rises as a result of muscle tension
• Headaches can occur, such as cluster headaches or tension headaches
• Muscles tense, such as clenching teeth, jaw tension, and making fists
• Hormone levels increase - adrenaline and noradrenaline especially
• The instinctive survival response of "fight or flight" occurs

Understanding how a body reacts to anger can help individuals manage a potentially hostile reaction by identifying the signs of anger when they occur.

How to Manage Anger

Once a person understands the bodily signs of anger, they can work towards quelling those feelings before they become too difficult to control. The three ways of managing feelings of anger include:

• Expressing feelings of anger
• Suppressing feelings of anger
• Calming down

Techniques for Managing Anger

Techniques that have proven effective in managing feelings of anger include:

• Relaxation Techniques. Relaxation can help people head off feelings of anger and stress before things get out of control. Typical relaxation techniques include slow breathing, repeating a calming word or phrase, positive imagery and progressive muscle relaxation exercises such as yoga or Pilates.

Laugher is relaxing.

• Humor. Humor can go a long way towards diffusing a heated situation. Sarcastic humor is not the idea; rather the person feeling angry should use some creative imagery to help them laugh at the situation. For example, if you are thinking your co-worker is a bonehead, imagine them at their desk doing their work with an actual bone for a head. Picture whatever you're thinking about a person as being real – it will help make the situation less threatening.
• Personal Time. Sometimes being in a particular environment can make people upset. Problems at the home or office can feel like they are closing in on us. A good technique for eliminating these feelings, even if temporarily, is to change the environment. Go for a walk, leaving the place that is making you unhappy so you can focus on something else for a while.
• Learn to Listen. Many people who have trouble managing their anger are quick to react. Generally speaking, they tend to react immediately to what someone is saying instead of really listening to them and letting the other person finish their thoughts. Let someone finish a sentence or explanation before you speak.
• Make a Plan of Action. Our problems can make us react in anger to those around us. Instead of letting our problems make our anger spiral out of control, it is important to come up with a plan of action for each of our problems. Think out each problem and come up with a simple plan to deal with it, such as the steps you will take to get a new job, manage debt, or plan an event. Knowing that you are in control of a situation can help you avoid feelings of helplessness and anger.
• Use Logic. This form or anger control is also known as cognitive restructuring. Anger is never logical. As soon as the person who always reacts in anger learns this, the sooner they can learn to change their typical reactions. For example, instead of saying, "I hate my life," they could learn to say, "This isn't the end of the world. I have a plan to make this better."

Where to Find Anger Management Fact Sheets

If you would like to print your own anger management fact sheets for personal use or for employees, or would like to order anger management worksheets and other materials, the following websites have useful information:

• Anger Management – fact sheet from the Mental Health Information Service
• American Psychological Association - Anger Management
• Anger Management Tips
• Anger Management for Teens – publications from SafeYouth.org
• Fact Sheet on Anger – from the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Anger can be challenging to deal with, but learning the basics from anger management fact sheets can help anyone begin to control their outbursts more effectively.

• Alternative Anger Management Therapy
• Funny Stressful Clipart
• How to Handle Stress Clipart

• Anger Management Worksheets
• Mandalas for Meditation and Coloring
• Stress Management Lesson Plans
• Stress Management PowerPoint Presentation
• Free Guided Relaxation

• Free Anger Worksheets
• Anger Management Programs for Elementary Students
• Christian Online Anger Management Courses
• Free Online Anger Management Classes
• Free Anger Management Classes