How Can I Manage My Anger?

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Find a therapist to heal from anger

Anger is not a singular emotion, but regardless of the form it takes, anger always feels justified.

Rage activates the sympathetic nervous system and floods the body with stress hormones.

If your anger feels constant, rumination may be fueling it.

We all face irritations and injustices that produce feelings of hostility, indignation, and frustration. Long meetings, traffic, rude people, disappointments, and betrayals, we all get triggered, and sometimes anger can grow into a sweeping rage. While it’s not always possible to prevent the circumstances that make us angry, we can learn how to manage our reactions when rage overtakes us.

Anger is a basic human emotion, observable even in infancy. Anger ranges from mild irritation to extreme furor, tending to evoke defensiveness or attack (Januszewski, 2016). It has evolved as a means for preparing an organism for a challenge. While anger is a normal emotion, it is not without physiological consequences. Anger activates the sympathetic nervous system, raising heart rate and blood pressure in ways similar to the body’s fight-or-flight response. Anger generates an immediate stress response and floods the body with adrenaline and cortisol that can weaken the immune system for hours after the actual event, reducing the body's ability to defend against infections (Alotiby, 2024). Intense rage or chronic anger elevates these hormones in the long term, decreasing immunity for a prolonged period and increasing risks of inflammation and heart disease.

Anger affects one psychologically as well. As a self-defense mechanism, anger is always experienced as a justified response, a protection against antagonism, injustices, and perceived wrongdoing (Alotiby, 2024). Anger activates our brain in a way that suppresses fear, pain, and shame, so it can override inhibitory controls on aggressive behavior. Anger lowers the threshold for responding reactively to a perceived provocation. It narrows the focus of the aggrieved person, moving them toward either retaliation or restoration of their loss of power, and it heightens the likelihood of impulsive and risk-taking behavior (Pop and colleagues, 2025). Further, when there is rumination about the triggers of the anger, the anger reaction lengthens and amplifies. Over time, holding onto, overreacting, or centering anger can damage relationships, interfere with job performance, and reduce well-being (Karppinen, King, and Russell, 2023; Umbra and Fasbender, 2025).

Whether or not an experience of anger is problematic depends on context, frequency, latency, intensity, duration, and mode of expression (Alotiby, 2024). Anger is not a singular emotion. It can reflect a physiological state, a set of appraisals, an action tendency, a personality trait, and sometimes a moral posture (Spielberger, Reheiser, and Sydeman, 1995). All anger starts as a constructive emotion, a defensive response to some kind of threat (Sznycer and Cohen, 2021). Whether anger leads to constructive or destructive expression depends not on the emotion itself, but on how an individual regulates and directs their response (Januszewski, 2016). People who tend to avoid problems, dwell on them repeatedly, or push their feelings down are likely to experience more intense and longer-lasting anger. People suppress anger to avoid conflict or out of fear of harm, rejection, or abandonment. When anger is not expressed outwardly, but rather turned inward and redirected toward oneself, it can lead to depression, anxiety, and self-loathing (Sahu, Gupta, and Chatterjee, 2014). People who can accept what they are feeling and rethink a situation in a broader way (i.e., cognitive reappraisal) tend to experience less anger and recover from it more quickly (Pop and colleagues, 2025). Anger is not only about what happened. It is also about what you do with what happened.

Reactive anger is an immediate, intense, and unregulated anger response. Aggressiveness, such as yelling, withdrawing, name-calling, and physical aggression are characteristic of reactive behavior. While all emotions are valid, reactivity is an expression of anger without reflection. It is frequently impulsive and overreactive, and it is more likely to impair judgment. Another form of destructive anger is passive aggressiveness, where, rather than open defiance, an expression of anger is sugar-coated or indirect. When a stinging comment is made with a smile or a back-handed compliment is dropped, the intent is still hostile and can lead to significant relational difficulties, where trust erodes, and resentments build. Righteous anger is a more delayed and sustained kind of anger related to one’s identity, beliefs, and moral compass. Moral conviction without agency can harden into frustration and helplessness.

For some people, anger becomes chronic, where irritability, contempt, or resentment are present all the time rather than temporarily, in response to a specific trigger. Rumination is the most common way anger becomes chronic. Rumination can feel like moral vigilance, as if replaying the evidence is necessary to remain on guard for possible attacks. But rumination is a fuel source. It keeps your body and mind in prosecutorial mode. Over time, the cost is not only distress; it is a narrowing of attention, where impressions crystalize and the capacity for empathy and nuance diminish (Januszewski, 2016; Pop and colleagues, 2025).

Constructive expressions of anger issues act as a catalyst for positive change or personal growth. To channel anger constructively means not to run, freeze, or fight but to respond to the emotion in a way that is reflective, regulated, and respectful. Shift your focus away from the source of the rage. A time out can help you process rage, as can physical exercise. Take a short walk or step into a quiet, darkened space for a little deep breathing. Honor your anger by naming it. Notice your impulses. Your feelings are valid. You are only accountable for your actions and the consequences of your response. Scan your body and notice where you are experiencing the emotion. Breathe. These steps will help to regulate your nervous system to become calmer and more balanced, so you can think clearly and decide on an intentional, positive response. At its core, your anger is telling you there is a problem. Anger that is anchored in threat perception alone, without reflective appraisal or a framework for constructive action, results in escalation and negative outcomes. Anger, when interpreted as information, can mobilize psychological resources and motivate behaviors that serve to correct the situation (Novaco, 2016). Anger, well managed, can be energizing and empowering. When anger is understood as aligned with values and tethered to thoughtful action, it can be a source of clarity and momentum.

How Can I Manage My Anger?

Take our Anger Management Test

Find a therapist to heal from anger

Alotiby A. (2024). Immunology of Stress: A Review Article. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(21), 6394. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13216394

Lisiecka, K. & Cieślik, et al. (2016). Constructive and destructive methods of copying with anger at students-measurement trial in an international perspective. Physical Activity Review. 4. 200-203. 10.16926/par.2016.04.25. (2016). Constructive and destructive methods of coping with anger at students—measurement trial in an international perspective. Parerga, 4, 237–251. http://dx.doi.org/10.16926/par.2016.04.25

Karppinen, H., King, O., & Russell, P. S. (2023). Hostile emotions and close relationships: Anger can be related to constructive responses. Personality and Individual Differences, 212, 112258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112258

Novaco, R.W. (2016). Anger. In: Fink George (ed.) Stress: Concepts, Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior, Volume 1 of the Handbook of Stress Series, pp. 285-292. Burlington: Academic Press.

Pop, G. V., Nechita, D. M., Miu, A. C., & Szentágotai-Tătar, A. (2025). Anger and emotion regulation strategies: a meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 6931. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91646-0

Sahu, A., Gupta, P., & Chatterjee, B. (2014). Depression is More Than Just Sadness: A Case of Excessive Anger and Its Management in Depression. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 36(1), 77–79. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7176.127259

Spielberger, C. D., Reheiser, E. C., & Sydeman, S. J. (1995). Measuring the experience, expression, and control of anger. Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 18(3), 207–232. https://doi.org/10.3109/01460869509087271

Sznycer, D. & Cohen, A. S. (2021). Are Emotions Natural Kinds After All? Rethinking the Issue of Response Coherence. Evolutionary Psychology: an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior, 19(2), 14747049211016009. https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049211016009

Umbra, R., & Fasbender, U. (2025). The daily relations between workplace anger, coping strategies, work outcomes, and workplace affiliation. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1538914. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1538914

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