Everyone experiences the emotion of anger. In fact, it may be a useful barometer of a change you need to make in your life or a sign that a relationship problem needs to be resolved. Anger has many intensity levels and “stages,” much like all other emotions. By recognizing the signals that it is coming to the surface, you may better handle it by understanding how it manifests in your life. By doing this, you contribute to making sure that it doesn’t have as many detrimental effects on you or those nearby. Understanding the stages of anger can also help you develop emotional intelligence, or understanding of the causes of it, so you can utilize it as a tool to make uplifting and constructive decisions. Seeking Online Counseling from the best counselors would be beneficial.
When we feel threatened, the emotion of anger is released. Threats might be perceived as actual. We are constantly enraged with something, whether it is another person, a predicament in life, or even ourselves.
Anger is brought on by:
- Getting frustrated when attempting to accomplish our aims
- Infringement of our rights
- Shame and disrespect
We are motivated to make things right in our lives by our anger. When we are frustrated, it compels us to pause and change our approach. When our rights are violated, it inspires us to reclaim those rights, and when we are treated disrespectfully, it inspires us to earn back that respect.
Let’s examine the many phases of anger. This close-up perspective on anger helps you comprehend anger better. You’ll also be better able to control your anger since you’ll be aware of when to control it and when it’s too late.
- Getting Triggered
There is always an external or internal trigger for anger. Events in life, cruel comments made by others, etc. are examples of external triggers. Anger can be brought on internally by thoughts and feelings.
Anger can occasionally be a secondary emotion that arises in response to a fundamental emotion. For instance, becoming enraged over feeling anxious or stressed.
Any information that makes us feel threatened can set up an angry reaction. When we feel threatened, our body is ready to deal with the situation.
- Build up
Your mind creates a justification for your anger once you have been triggered. To weave the plot, it could use recent past incidents.
When this occurs, anger begins to fester inside of you. You still have time to switch gears and reconsider if the report is accurate at this point.
You can stop the rage response if you understand that the story is untrue and the threat is unfounded. But if you believe your story to be true, your wrath will only grow.
- Prepare to go into action
Your body begins preparing you for action once your anger reaches a particular threshold. Yours:
Muscles stiffen up (to prepare them for action)
Pupils widen (to size up your enemy)
Throat flares (to let in more air)
Breathing becomes more rapid (to get more oxygen)
Heart rate goes up (to get more oxygen and energy)
Your body is now firmly ensnared in anger. It will be challenging at this point to reconsider the situation and let go of the rage. However, it is doable with sufficient mental effort.
- Feeling the impulse
The next thing your body needs to do is push you to take action now that it has prepared you for doing so. The need to act, yell, say cruel things, punch, etc. is perceived as this “push.”
Your internal energy has to be released since it has been piling up and causing tension. We are propelled to let go of our stored energy when we feel the urge to act.
- Acting on the impulse
Saying “No” to an impulse is difficult. Energy is looking for an immediate release. It is feasible to withstand the temptation to take action, though. But it requires a significant amount of mental energy to counteract the release of stored energy.
If your anger were a leaky pipe, you could easily mend it when you’re somewhat irritated, that is if the leak isn’t too severe. However, if your pipe is dripping like a fire hose, you will need more power to stop the leak. 1-2 people may be required to assist you.
A fire hose that is challenging to close is opened when you act out of anger. Within minutes, you say and do things that are hostilely driven.
Your fight-or-flight survival instinct is in charge at this point. You are unable to reason.
If you don’t want to damage anyone around you, you can still release your energy at this point in a harmless manner. Driving, clenching your fists, pounding a punching bag, throwing things, breaking things, and so forth are all options.
- Relief
You feel relieved when you take action to let go of the tension that has been building up inside of you due to anger. You briefly feel good. Anger release relieves our problems.
- Recovery
When someone is in the recovery stage, their fury has entirely disappeared and they are starting to calm off. Now that the “temporary lunacy” of the wrath has passed, the person has returned to normal.
The person may experience guilt, humiliation, remorse, or even depression at this point. When they were enraged, they felt as though a devil had taken possession of them.
They have reverted to their former selves and regret what they did while they were furious. They regain their capacity for reason and clarity of thought. As their “survival mode” goes offline, their “safe mode” comes back online.
- Repair
In the last step, the person evaluates their actions and draws lessons from them. They apologize and mend their connections if they believe they were insensitive and reacted inappropriately. They may decide to alter their behavior going forward, at least until the enraged demon reclaims them.
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