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By Mayo Clinic staffImproving your ability to manage anger has a number of benefits. You'll feel like you have more control when life's challenges turn up the heat, and more relaxed in challenging situations. Knowing how to express your feelings assertively means you won't feel frustrated because you feel like you need to "hold in" your anger to avoid offending someone.
Anger management can help you:
- Argue less. Enjoy better overall communication that results when you talk about your anger rather than letting it build. This will help you avoid saying impulsive and hurtful things that damage relationships with family members, friends and your partner.
- Maintain better health. The stress caused by ongoing angry feelings can increase your risk for health problems, including headaches, sleep problems, digestive problems, heart problems and high blood pressure.
- Prevent psychological problems linked to anger, which can include depression, problems at work and troubled relationships.
- Use your frustration to get things done. Anger expressed inappropriately can make it difficult for you to think clearly, and may result in poor judgment. Learn to use feelings of frustration and anger as motivators to work harder and take positive action.
- Help avoid addictive escapes. It's common for people who feel chronically angry to turn to alcohol, drugs or food. Rather than using alcohol, drugs or food to dull anger, you can use anger management techniques to keep your cool and your control.
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Understanding anger. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2004.
- Controlling anger — before it controls you. American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org. Accessed May 27, 2009.
- Scott CL, et al. Psychotherapeutic approaches to treating chronic aggression. In: Hales RE, et al. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=319794&searchStr=aggressive+behavior. Accessed May 27, 2009.
