Anger is a normal and natural emotional reaction to feeling stressed, frustrated or anxious. Although everyone becomes angry from time to time it can become damaging if it is bottled up or expressed inappropriately. If you can identify the causes of your anger it can help you get better control of how you respond when you start to feel anger. Common triggers for anger are:

• Not feeling heard
• Fear
• Drug or alcohol addiction
• Mental illness

Inappropriate anger is expressed by constant irritability, rage or aggressive behaviour. Continued and repeated angry outbursts can have a detrimental effect on your physical and emotional health as well as those around you. Short-term treatment for anger management issues is usually very structured and often consists of psycho-education, self-awareness and methods to help you recognise your angry triggers and teach you calming techniques. Long-term treatment is appropriate for you if you want to examine the underlying reasons for your anger. Counselling would involve challenging parts of your personality that are quick to anger. Counselling can help you improve your communication skills, increase your awareness of anger triggers and improve your ability to control your anger.