Anger Cycle

Did you know that there is a cycle of internal stressors, external events, physical responses, feelings and thoughts that precedes an explosion of anger? It might feel like your overwhelming rage comes out of the blue and that you have no control over it. But this is an underlying process that happens for all of us. It might be very fast- but it still happens. Next time you have an anger episode try to break it down afterwards using this template. Eventually, with practice, you will be able to notice the cycle happening in the moment. The invitations are the things that provide opportunities to have an angry response. Maybe it’s that person at your job that you find to be self centered. Maybe it’s your own low blood sugar or dehydration putting you on edge. A physical response occurs next: your body reacts to the situation as if you are in danger and need to assert and defend yourself. Maybe your breathing goes up, your heart rate increases, or your skin changes temperature. This triggers problematic thoughts that further mobilize your anger response. “What a selfish person!” “I won’t take this!” “How dare he!” Any of these thoughts can lead to underlying emotions of betrayal, hurt, abandonment, injustice, or grief. It’s after all this that your body decides the best response for managing the situation is anger. By breaking this cycle down, instead of assuming our response occurred out of our control, we can start to slow down the cycle and intervene with ourselves before it gets to the point of explosion. #angermanagement #anger #angerissues #angerproblems #emotionalregulation #emotionalregulation #angercycle #behaviorchain #dbtskills #mentalhealththerapy #mentalhealththerapist