Anger, which is sometimes the result of stress, is a normal human emotion. Most of the time it is healthy. It’s unavoidable because anger (and stress) is simply a part of the daily grind of life. However, anger is the most volatile of all human emotions. When it gets out of control it can lead to strained relationships and dangerous and destructive behavior. Combined with stress, anger can lead to a decline in your overall quality of life.

Controlling your emotions and managing your stress is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

How stress can cause anger

At its core, stress is a feeling of emotional, physical, or mental tension. Stress is brought on by the challenges of life and can be caused by any number of factors. Because of the increased sensitivity, you’re much more vulnerable to being irritable. That irritability can lead to anger, which is a response to stress as well as a perceived failure, injustice, or slight.

Tension can lead to an aggressive response. Anger has more to do with the reaction to an event rather than the event itself. In any event, the negativity spurred on by stress can lead to an outburst of anger.

Anger and stress management go hand-in-hand

Anger management counseling has two primary goals. The first goal is reduce the emotional feelings that lead to anger. The second goal is to control the physiological arousal that is caused by anger. Stress management is strategies and therapies to help reduce stress. This can include counseling, attitude adjustment, positive lifestyle changes, or all these elements. Controlling your stress can help control anger.

There are times, however, that anger is not caused by stress. It can be caused by other sociological, physiological, or genetic factors.  Regardless of the cause, it is important to develop strategies to cope effectively with your emotions.

How we can help

Houston Psychotherapists has clinicians on staff that specialize in anger management and stress management. We focus on counseling that helps you manage your anger and stress. We identify ways to help you channel your emotions and identify strategies that can help you develop a much more constructive response to certain events.

If you are having issues with anger or stress, we encourage you to contact our office. Please note that we are not medical doctors and we do not prescribe medication.