In the heat of the moment, anger can make you feel like you’re spinning out of control. Learning healthy ways to manage stress and anger is an important part of recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD). In the first weeks and months without opioids, people often feel more sensitive to certain triggers. It takes time to learn skills for navigating intense emotions. Eventually, with practice, you can build up your resilience and master emotional regulation skills.
There are three main ways that people can respond to anger: expressing, suppressing, and calming. Each of them has different pros and cons. The situation and the way you use these different responses can affect the outcome. Expressing anger in its rawest form may feel satisfying in the moment, but it can be hurtful to others and your relationships. Suppressing anger usually isn’t a good long-term solution, since your anger will come out at other times when you’re not necessarily in control. Calming your anger can be a good response when there isn’t anything else you can do about it. In some cases, though, anger can help motivate you to make positive changes.
Understanding your emotions and the situation at hand can help you figure out the best way to move forward. However, it might take some trial and error to figure out what works for you. In this blog post, we’ll share eight strategies you can use to manage your anger.
8 anger management strategies to help you regain control over your emotions
Anger management involves learning about yourself and developing skills for managing your emotions. You might find that there are other feelings besides anger driving your behaviors that look angry on the surface. Aside from self-knowledge, anger management is also about learning healthier ways to interact with others. Part of it is managing your boundaries and making sure your needs are met in your relationships. Skills for communication and conflict resolution will also help you navigate situations with others that make you angry.
Use the following anger management strategies to manage your emotions proactively and in the moment:
- Recognizing and understanding anger triggers — Reflecting on what triggers your anger can give you clues that help you understand these feelings. Then, you can find new ways to manage them. Anger can sometimes be a secondary emotion. It’s something you feel in response to another emotion like sadness or pain. Ask yourself whether your anger is directed at the person or thing that triggers it or whether there’s something else going on under the surface.
- Practicing mindfulness and emotional regulation techniques — When you’re seeing red, it can be hard to think with the logical part of your brain and see the bigger picture. Mindfulness techniques can help you make some room for other thoughts and feelings. They can keep you grounded in these moments. Breath and body awareness meditations are mindfulness practices that you can do almost anywhere. Using these techniques often is like building up your “mindfulness muscles.” You get better at them with practice, so they become more effective.
- Problem-solving — Anger is often a justified response to a problem you’re facing. Many problems can be solved, but not all of them. Consider whether there might be a more practical way to deal with the situation that’s causing your anger. If not, the next things to consider are changing your perspective or changing the way you manage your emotions.
- Developing healthy communication skills — Your first instincts when communicating from a place of anger are rarely aligned with your true values. Snapping at someone and hurting their feelings usually doesn’t make the situation better. In fact, it can do the opposite and make them less likely to cooperate. You might brainstorm some phrases you can use to let people know you need some time to cool off. It may be a good idea to come back and address the situation when you’re not feeling angry. Use “I” statements to tell them what you were thinking and feeling. See if there’s a way you can avoid the same situation in the future. There also might be a more constructive way to approach it.
- Changing your environment and moving your body — Excusing yourself for a moment can save you from saying or doing something you’ll regret later. It can also give you a chance to work through your anger. Changing your environment and moving your body can both be effective ways to do this. Try to get outside for a quick walk. At the very least, see if you can leave the room for a few minutes to do some deep breathing or a mindfulness exercise.
- Choosing the right time and place to deal with triggering situations — Addressing things right away isn’t always the most productive way to resolve a conflict. Try not to have these talks at times when you’re stressed or angry. That doesn’t mean you should avoid them altogether. It might help to set up a time to talk in advance so you can cool down and prepare what you want to say. Find a neutral and private location so one person doesn’t have an unfair advantage.
- Identifying unhelpful thoughts and changing them — Anger can twist the truth and make you see things in a more negative light. For instance, you might have thoughts like “I never do anything right” or “There’s no use trying anymore, I might as well quit.” Keep an eye out for black-and-white thinking or absolutes such as “always” or “never.” Find some time to reflect when you’re in a better mood and try to think of a more balanced way to frame things. You might remind yourself, “This is just one moment, and it will pass.” A licensed counselor or therapist can help you with this process.
- Creating and maintaining a self-care routine — You might be more quick to anger if you have physical or emotional needs that aren’t being met. Caring for yourself in a more proactive way can help you keep angry outbursts to a minimum. Exercising, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep are all important ways to manage stress. Think through your daily and weekly routine. When are you most likely to get angry? What can you do to care for yourself at those times?
Work on anger management and get support with OUD recovery at Groups
When you’re not in control of your anger, it can be destructive to your relationships and your overall well-being. In many cases, extreme anger is a sign that something else is going on. It can be a result of unresolved trauma, chronic pain, substance use, and other unmet needs. Working through your anger takes dedication and perseverance. If it ends up helping you live your life according to your values and improve your relationships with yourself and others, it will be worth the effort.
Anger management is just one part of treatment at Groups. We integrate support groups with education about OUD and different forms of therapy. Members talk with a qualified prescriber about Suboxone and other types of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). They also work with Recovery Support Specialists to secure food, housing, and other basic necessities.
Are you looking for support with anger management and OUD recovery? Give our Recovery Support Specialists a call today. You can also contact us with any questions about the treatment process.
We provide treatment across the country — and we’re always expanding. See if we offer care in your state, either online or at one of our 130+ local offices. If Groups doesn’t offer treatment in your area, you can locate other treatment options here.
