Anger Management

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Anger Management

• Promoting Health Wellness
• July 29, 2007

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Disclaimer

• Anger Management for Health and Wellness
• Anger can cause a host of illnesses, injuries and
  trauma in otherwise healthy people.
  Understanding the emotion of anger and how to
  manage it could help you manage your health.
  Anger is an emotion that all people experience
  (like happiness, sadness, etc.). This class,
  facilitated by Rebecca Hasty, will focus on ways
  we choose to react to the anger emotion, from
  annoyance to rage, the consequences and the
  management. This class is not a psychotherapy
  class, a substitute for any therapy class, nor
  for people who have been court ordered to attend
  such a class. The class will not count for
  credit nor for counseling, and is, in part, based
  on the book, Anger Management for Dummies by W.
  Doyle Gentry.

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The Anger Emotion
(Week 1)

• Universal emotion
• Begins in infancy
• Problematic when is occurs too
• frequently and too intensely
• Choose how you express Anger
• Anger is a health issue
• Healthy people rarely get angry
• Anger says a lot about YOU

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What is Your Risk?
Males are more intensely angry rage Ages 13 to
39 Impulsivity and excitability Provocation,
inadequate support system Cynicism,
Self-absorption, aggressive Drugs, Life out of
balance Highly irritable, constantly
exhausted Depressed Communicate Poorly Lack
problem-solving skills Stressed, judgmental,
blaming
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Bad Habits are Difficult to Change

• Managing anger is a major life change
• Resistance to change
• Changing requires energy, motivation and
  commitment
• Take control of your anger
• Write a letter to the editor or stand up for
  yourself, but dont hurt others or yourself
• Get support

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Reacting to Anger

• If you dont know what to do when you begin to
  feel anger, your knee-jerk reactions can mean
• Loss of job, friends or family
• Poor performance in school
• Financial difficulties
• Institutionalization
• Loss of energy
• Health issues
• Court dates
• Your death

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Responding to Anger

• Keep your cool
• Ask yourself how much anger this situation
  warrants
• Anger-in or anger-out
• Rate your anger
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle
• Polish your problem-solving skills

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How Angry are You?How Intense is Your Anger?

• How often during the week did you get irritated,
  mad, or angry on a scale from not at all to more
  than 10xs a day think of all the times you felt
  the least bit angry.
• 0-------------------------------------------------
  ------------10
• Think of how you feel most of the time when you
  get angry and honestly rate your anger from 1
  (mild) to 10 (extreme).

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Both Frequency and
Intensity Matter (Week 2)

• 0 to 5 times per week for frequency is within a
  healthy, normal range
• 6 or below is within a healthy, normal range for
  intensity
• These are considered intermittent or episodic.
  However, any other answers means your anger is
  chronic and a problem.
• Ratings between 7-10 are rage and are always
  considered a problem.

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Choose Health Over Anger

• Anger has an instantaneous effect on your blood
  pressure
• Cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, high blood
  pressure, high cholesterol, overweight
• On-the job injuries
• Road Rage
• Affects family

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Steep Price to Pay to Make a Point

• Burned that bridge?

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Prevention

• Dont need to have the last word
• Ratchet down the anger
• Choose your response
• Settle for just being annoyed
• Its not the end of the world
• Dont take it personally
• Dont blame the other person
• Dont think about revenge
• Cope (music)
• No victim

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Lengthening Your Fuse

• Cut back on caffeine
• Drink alcohol only in moderation
• Get more sleep, naturally
• Get counseling for depression
• Be optimistic and thankful
• Use imagery
• Employ stress-management techniques
• Patiently suck on a Life Savers for 5 minutes

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Becoming More Tolerant

• Anger says that you think youre right and the
  other person is wrong. The more intolerant a
  person, the more intense his/her anger.
• Diversity is the antidote.

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Increasing Diversity

• Read about religions different from your own
• See movies about places different than where you
  live
• Go to a restaurant try something new
• Be adventurous
• Talk to a person you dont already know
• Travel all you can
• Socialize with people whos roots are different
  than your own
• Visit museums and art galleries
• Hang around people of all ages
• Attend free lectures on a variety of subjects
• Keep your eyes open, your mouth shut

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Help for Type As (Week 3)

• Dance
• Laugh outrageously
• Smile
• Be honest and open about your feelings
• Write
• No one starts out being emotionally mature. Its
  a journey.

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Becoming a Type B

• Who you are/not what you do
• Engage in healthy competition (dont keep score)
• Walk with people who walk slower, at their speed
• Nominate someone else
• Dont wear a watch
• Seek diversity

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Understanding Your Anger

• Anger reveals your character
• Choose how you want to feel after you get angry
• Do not dwell on your angry feelings
• Focus your anger on the problem, not the person
• Accept that the problem can be solved and then
  problem-solve
• You are the source of your anger

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Forgiveness

• Never comes easy
• Is a journey and takes time
• Requires support
• Acknowledge the frailty of human nature

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Improvement Plans for Angry People
Stop smoking Lay off the caffeine Cut back on
alcohol Become a more responsible
consumer Understand your body chemistry Let the
impulse pass Become less reactive Counterbalance
stress Create positive sleep habits View faith as
an anger-management tool Explore spirituality and
emotional health
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Remain Calm and Count to 9,000

• Get Out of Dodge Before You Say Something Youll
  Regret
• Take as Long as you Need to Relax

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Why?

• Anger is expensive
• Anger is deadly

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Contact

• Rebecca Hasty, Gender Equity/Special Populations
  Initiatives Specialist
• Nebraska Department of Education
• Nebraska Career Education
• PO Box 94987
• Lincoln, NE 68509
• 402-471-4823
• 402-471-4565 (FAX)
• www.nde.state.ne.us/nce
• Rebecca.hasty_at_nde.ne.gov