Anger is a powerful emotion that can feel difficult to control. Physical manifestations of uncontrolled anger include heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic back pain and stomach aches. The effects of anger on a woman's psyche can result in overeating, substance abuse, addictions, the inability to eat or self-destructive thoughts. With a few techniques, anger in women can be helped.
Step 1
Recognize the different expressions of anger that a woman may express. These might include physical or emotional abuse of others (most likely children or romantic partners). Understand that anger in women is often expressed passively. Many women turn their anger inward, toward themselves, creating feelings of resentment or guilt.
Step 2
Validate the emotion of the woman's anger. Women have historically been instructed by mental health therapists and physicians that their feelings of anger are brought on by physical hormonal changes or are just part of their imagination, according to Lois Frankel, Ph.D., author of the bestselling book "Nice Girls Don't Get Rich." A woman should be encouraged to accept and deal with the presence of her anger.
Step 3
Uncover triggers for the woman's anger. Understand that her anger might have been simmering for several years or, possibly, even decades. Know that her anger could go all the way back to the time when she was growing up, especially if she had a parent who had explosive or passive aggressive tendencies. It could be, too, that a recent event has unleashed all this anger in her. Realize that financial distress in a time of economic recession can be a trigger of sudden or frequent outbursts of anger.
Step 4
Encourage the woman to eat a healthier diet. Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN nurse practitioner and founder of the organization Women to Women, states that poor dietary habits could trigger anger. Understand that even missing a meal can result in hunger that changes mood, which can cause a woman to choose an unhealthy meal instead that contains processed food, which can also lead to the liver overproducing bile, which causes an overall sense of irritation.
Step 5
Encourage her to find a positive outlet for her anger. She can write in a journal to blow off some steam and determine the root cause of her anger. She can also try meditation as a way to soothe her mind and calm her temper. Encourage her not to vent her anger against another person.
Step 6
Deal with the root cause of her anger. When she knows what is causing her angry outbursts, she will be better able to handle the emotion when It arises.
Tips and Warnings
- Working with a therapist can be a useful way for women to get help dealing with overwhelming, deeply rooted anger problems.
References
- Young Women's Health
- "Women, Anger and Depression;" Lois Frankel, 1992.
- Women to Women
