Anger Management Cues

When we are starting to get angry, our body sends us physical cues to tell us that there is a problem. These are instant, physiological sensations that we have no control over.

Different people experience anger differently in their body, but we all receive cues of some sort when we are getting angry.  Make a mark next to the physical cues that you have noticed in yourself when you are getting angry. Our anger management program addresses these triggers.

Anger Management Indicators

Some of these cues include:

• Increased heart rate (may feel like a pounding in your chess)
• Muscle tightness or tension
• Jaws tightening, teeth grinding
• Fists clenching
• Tightness in the chest or shoulders
• A heated, or flushed feeling in your skin
• Sudden headache
• A tightness in your stomach, or the feeling of butterflies
• Dizziness
• A rush of adrenaline, usually in your chest
• A sense of extra strength, like you could lift a car
• An extreme focus of your vision on one person or thing (tunnel vision)
• Increase of breathing to fast, shallow breaths
• Pressured speech, or the difficulty getting words out
• Difficulty in speaking anything but a harsh, loud tone
• Nausea or sudden urge to use the bathroom
• Increase stress (epinephrine and cortisol surge in your body)
• Difficulty thinking clearly, problem solving and other mental abilities are compromised
• Change in facial expression

Increased Awareness of Anger Cues

You probably don’t experience all of these cues, but when you are upset your body will send at least some of these cues to you ass a signal that you are getting angry.  An increased awareness of your cues is key, because it can help you do something about your anger early, before it gets out of hand.

(Excerpt from “Taking Control of Your Anger: A step-by-step guide to Anger Management” by Michael Ballard, MA, NCC, LPC)

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Michael Ballard, MA, LPC

Counselor For Anger Management at Front Range Counseling Center

I am an anger management counselor at Front Range Counseling Center, an outpatient clinic in Denver that helps individuals and couples with anger problems. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado. I provide counseling services for individuals, couples, and families who struggle with anger. I developed The ASCEND Method® for anger management, and have used this method with men and women, adults, teens, and children. I have also authored various workbooks, training manuals, and articles and has been published in The Washington Post.

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