Feeling cross and stressed? - Anger and Frustration is real and tough
Do you ever ask yourself "why am I feeling cross and stressed all the time?" Feeling under pressure - whether there is cause or not, finding yourself yelling at the kids or your partner more often? Reacting with anger when the situation is minor and just feeling like the world is against you?
Sometimes the anger or irritability we feel can be related to our past experiences. This might mean that we react more strongly to a situation we're experiencing in the present, because of our anger about what happened to us in the past. Sometimes we don't even know what it is that is triggering us to go from 0 to 100 instantly. We just know that we seem to have lost control of our emotions and get easily triggered by seemingly simple things like kids quarrelling, feeling under pressure at work or a glass breaking.
If you've experienced situations in the past that made you feel angry, you might still be coping with those angry feelings now. Especially if you weren't able to safely express your anger at the time. Those situations could include abuse , trauma or bullying. This might mean that you now find some situations very difficult, and more likely to make you angry. Becoming aware of this can help you to find ways of responding to current circumstances in a safer or more helpful way.
We might feel angry about things that are going on in our lives right now. Or our current circumstances might make it harder to cope with or manage our emotions. There may be situations that make you feel angry, but you struggle to express or resolve your anger at the time. So you might find that you express your anger at other times or in other ways.
Some experiences that may be underlying issues include:
Stress. If you're dealing with a lot of other problems in your life right now, you might find yourself feeling angry more easily than usual. Or you might get angry at unrelated things.
Bereavement. Anger can be a part of grief. If you've lost someone important to you, it can be hugely difficult to cope with all the conflicting things you might be feeling.
Discrimination or injustice, such as experiences of racism, can make us feel angry. Particularly if you're being treated unfairly, if you feel powerless to do anything about it, or if people around you don't understand.
Upsetting or worrying events. You might feel angry about things that are happening in your world right now. You may see things going on which you know aren't right but that you feel powerless to stop. Or you may feel angry at the decisions made by people in power, or by the attitudes of others about issues that matter to you.
Bad experiences in childhood. Perhaps your parents' relationship was problematic and so reacting in anger and raising your voice has been normalised for you. Or violence was present in the home, so a plate breaking, or something being misplaced results in angry outbursts.
Undiagnosed Depression or Anxiety. Your coping mechanisms are already stretched beyond breaking point. You might not even know why. But now every little additional annoyance or obstacle makes you rage more than is warranted.
Whatever is going on, I can work with you to help you navigate and manage your anger issues. Using CBT I will teach you the skills to manage yourself in a more assertive and confident manner, gaining respect for yourself and showing respect to others. These skills will help you in your relationships , your college or workplace. You will learn to communicate and express how you feel without feeling weak, embarrassed or belittled.
Get in Touch, even just for a chat about how things can change!
Tel: 087 757 1091 or Email: info@patrickgavin.ie