Anger is a natural occurring emotion that every one of us experiences. We might react to a person or situation that has displeased us with feelings of irritation, frustration and anger. Daily examples of this happen when we run into a traffic jam making us late to work, or have to reprimand a stubborn child who won’t follow directions, or deal with a computer that won’t work as fast as we’d like, or even talk with an uncooperative spouse. It’s how you respond to these situations that determines if it’s time for help. If your anger is out of control and filled with rage it can impact judgment and decision making skills, resulting in irrational behavior. These reactions can leave others around you feeling scared or hurt and can breakdown relationships, cause incidents of road rage and impede promotion at work and progress at school. Chronic anger can also contribute to a plethora of health problems that include insomnia, high blood pressure, headaches, back pain, digestive disorders and even heart attack and stroke. It also leads to mental issues like depression, low self-esteem, drug and/or alcohol abuse and eating disorders.
Anger management classes are designed to be done in-group settings or privately by taking a program online. The goal is gain the skills to recognize what is triggering your anger and learn ways to take action to deal with the person or occurrence in a rational, calm and positive way. Research shows that anger control is a skill that can be learned, even later in life.
Participants of anger management classes will learn how to identify the signs that they are about to blow up. Most people have some physical reaction to anger like a faster heartbeat, breathing more rapidly, tension in the jaw or clenching of fists. Then you will learn how to respond in effective ways utilizing stress management and relaxation techniques, better listening and communication skills, empathy, and taking a close look at the way you are thinking. Most people don’t realize that as we go through the day we are interpreting in our head what is said and happening around us. Instead of looking at things negatively like “I’m never going to be accepted by my peers” try “If I keep acting friendly, I will eventually make some good friends”. With practice, conquering negative habits will help to break the angry cycle.
There are different approaches to learning new anger management skills. An increasingly popular format is to take the course online in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Highly respected programs are available to enroll in and take from your Internet connected computer 24/7. This is perfect for busy people who can’t make a weekly instructor lead classroom meeting, or don’t like having to share their story with strangers.
Online classes can be taken purely for self-improvement purposes or are often utilized to fulfill court mandated anger management education requirements. Just check with your attorney, probation officer or judge to make sure that your legal system will accept a distance learning class. Whatever the reason, if you are ready to take the challenge, you will find this the quickest and easiest way to learn the material.