Healthy Ways to Manage Your Anger

Amanda Brashear • February 20, 2025

Managing Anger

Anger is a normal emotion we feel being human. Anger can be felt within a range of intensity - from annoyed, frustrated, irritated, to severely angry and/or boiling inside. When feeling any range of these emotions, it is important to recognize the impacts of how we express these within our environments and within our relationships with others, as well as ourselves. Sometimes, anger can be expressed by yelling, swearing, and/or by physical aggression (such as throwing, smashing, or hitting). Other times, anger can be used in a positive manner to help motivate positive change or help us recognize unfairness or boundaries that have been crossed that hold importance to our value system.

So, how do we know if anger is becoming a problem within our lives? Here are some questions to consider:

-Has someone expressed concerns regarding your temper?

-Do you engage in substances to manage your anger?

-Do you feel irritable, tense, and/or on edge most of the time?

-When angry, do you break or damage items around you?

-Is your relationships being impacted by your temper or aggressiveness?

Anger management skills are beneficial to help individuals who are struggling with having coping skills to manage and address anger. Some important key points addressed when working in individual therapy with anger management skills are identifying triggers, early warning signs, and learning strategies to help de-escalate in potential escalating moments.

Some specific coping strategies include:

-Taking a time out by temporarily leaving a situation to calm down.

-Grounding techniques, such as deep breathing, muscle tension relaxation, visualization, etc.

-Engaging in physical exercise.

-Recognizing the consequences of reacting off anger.

-Utilizing assertiveness skills to communicate effectively to address root to anger.

If you are struggling with anger and want to learn more about anger management skills, call our office at 859.338.0466 to schedule an appointment with one of our providers. Our current offices are located in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, KY. We have been trusted mental health professionals in Central Kentucky for over 22 years!

Supporting Articles:

https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/anger-management/art-20045434

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/12195-anger-management

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By Chelsea Conner • September 8, 2025

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How to Build Success When Recovering from Substance Use

By Chelsea Conner • August 14, 2025

Substance use is a growing health concern. 47.7 million Americans reported the use of illegal substances according to a study conducted in 2023 by The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. A Substance Use Disorder (SUD), defined by The American Psychiatric Association, is ‘a complex condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequences.’ The American Psychiatric Association recognizes that someone who has a SUD has an intense urge to engage in any of the listed substances - alcohol, tobacco, or psychoactive substances that impact daily functioning, interpersonal relationships, and overall health. Another term well known for SUD is addiction. There is no single cause for a SUD but rather, a combination of factors can contribute to its development. Self-medication, genetics, peer pressure, curiosity, performance enhancement, and medical use turned misuse can all lead to someone engaging in problem use with substances and even addiction. Another study conducted in 2023 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, showed that 70% of people who sought out treatment for substance abuse/misuse reported improvements to their overall health and functioning within the first year of treatment. There are several available options for treatment, including outpatient care, intensive outpatient care, and in-patient care treatment. It is also important to have a collaborative approach when it comes to treatment for a SUD to have the best outcome, which can include medication management, individual therapy, group therapy, peer support, AA/NA meetings, sponsor, and a healthy support system within interpersonal relationships. It's important to remember that addiction is not a moral failing, it's a complex medical condition that can affect anyone. Compassion, understanding, and proper treatment are essential to recovery and can lead to successful outcomes. Some treatment modalities that have shown success in therapy when treating SUD include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Contingency Management (CM), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), as well as a facilitated 12 step program and a trauma focused lens. Whether you're concerned about your own substance use or worried about a loved one, help is available and healing is possible! Call our office at 859.338.0466 to schedule an appointment to work with one of our providers to start your healing journey to recovery. Our current offices are located in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, KY. We have been trusted mental health professionals in Central Kentucky for over 22 years! Articles and Resources: https://drugabusestatistics.org/ https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction-substance-use-disorders/what-is-a-substance-use-disorder https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6175215/ https://www.pyramid-healthcare.com/blog/2019/02/12/self-medication-and-addiction/ https://americanaddictioncenters.org/therapy-treatment