Anger is one of the most common emotions that we experience. It can induce healthy and appropriate responses to threatening or painful circumstances while also providing a way to feel less threatened or in pain. However, if anger is experienced as often as it should be and still doesn’t serve its purpose, it can lead to significant personal stress for the person experiencing it. This may manifest into long-term consequences such as health problems or relationship conflicts, which then contribute even further towards accumulating anger.
I have compiled a list of 4 signs that you may have an anger problem. In some cases, you may find that you experience all of these signs, while in other cases you may still experience some of the signs even if you don’t have an anger problem.
1. You Overreact to Small Events
An overreaction is defined as “to behave in an overly emotional or exaggerated way when dealing with a situation or occurrence.” So, when we overreact to small events such as someone cutting us off on the road or being cut off ourselves by another driver, we are experiencing a disproportionate emotion in comparison to the event that has occurred.
2. You Don’t Realize the Effects of Your Anger
The following is a list of reasons why your anger may be causing you insurance problems: for example, when you are cut off by another driver, it is most likely not intentional; your anger may cause you to drive at least 10mph above the speed limit; when you get cut off on the road, you may actually be at fault yourself and go a little over the speed limit. The list could really go on, but the point that I am trying to make is that what brings about our angry feelings can often be one of our own actions.
3. You Have More Problems in Relationships Than Those Who Do Not Experience Anger
You may have experienced a relationship failure in the past and are now afraid to let someone else into your life. You may have also been or still are involved in an abusive relationship. Or, you may have had an enormously strong need to control your partner and thus affected the other person’s feelings and basic sense of self-worth.
4. Your Anger Is Out of Control
If you’ve been diagnosed with anger issues, what this means is that a mental illness has been identified as the cause of your anger issues. It also means that you are taking medication for your anger issues. If you are not doing so, it’s likely because you are ready to start working on your anger issues.
THERE ARE ALSO OTHER SIGNS THAT MAY INDICATE ANGER PROBLEMS AND/OR ANGER ASSESSMENT IS NECESSARY FOR YOU:
1. You have a history of aggressive behavior and/or assaultive behavior (like fighting, throwing things, punching walls etc)
2. You have a history of substance abuse or addiction (alcohol or other)
3. You have a history of depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder (with depressive symptoms)
4. You have a history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), based on multiple traumatic events
5. You have a history of dissociative episodes
6. You have a history of suicidal or self-harming behavior (cutting, burning etc)
7. You have more than one of the aforementioned problems and/or situations, are not taking medication and/or are experiencing them frequently, even if you are not aware that you need help with your anger issues. This can happen in cases when the person has developed their own way to cope with the events in their life without ever realizing that there may be better and healthier ways to deal with them.