Anger can be a difficult emotion to overcome.
If you’re recovering from an active addiction, anger could have greatly contributed to your substance abuse. You may have used drugs or alcohol to manage these emotions and stressful situations. As the addiction worsened, you may have become angry with yourself for causing the damage. Even if you’ve completed substance abuse treatment, you may continue to struggle with these emotions well into your sobriety. At Banyan Treatment Centers Massachusetts, we know that anger management in recovery can help alleviate the emotional impact of addiction and allow you to move forward.
How to Manage Anger in Recovery
Anger can be harmful to both your physical and mental health. At our drug and alcohol rehab in Massachusetts, we often stress the influence negative emotions like anger can have on a person’s life. In the most extreme cases, anger can completely impair a person’s judgment, resulting in behavior that causes self-harm or harm to others. Managing anger in addiction recovery can be difficult, but it can make a positive difference in your sobriety. Below are some ways you can manage anger in recovery.
Figure Out What Makes You Angry
Anger management in recovery starts with finding out the source of your anger. Self-awareness is important when you’re trying to find new ways to manage any negative emotion. Once you find out what makes you angry, you can focus on why it makes you angry and how to manage it.
If you’re struggling with an active addiction, you may be battling with anger yourself. Substance abuse can have a significant impact on your overall well-being. The best way to avoid the repercussions of an ongoing addiction is by getting help in programs like our partial hospitalization program.
Journal
Journaling is a great way to organize your thoughts and manage your emotions. Our initial reaction when we’re angry is to say the first thing that pops into our heads. Writing out your thoughts instead of lashing out can prevent you from saying something you may regret. You can also look back on what you wrote to see the progress you’ve made.
Meditate
Meditation is an excellent form of anger management in addiction recovery. Meditation not only relaxes you, but it also increases your self-awareness and patience. Waking up five minutes earlier to meditate can motivate you to approach the day with a positive attitude.
Pick Up a New Hobby
Picking up a new hobby is common in addiction recovery. Idle hands can lead to irresponsible behavior, but hobbies can fill in the gaps in your schedule. Hobbies can keep your mind off of drug or alcohol abuse and keep your hands busy. You can also make new friends while learning a new skill.
Exercise
Exercise is beneficial for a variety of reasons. It reduces stress, releases endorphins (which trigger positive feelings), and keeps you physically healthy. Anger is tied to mental health, and the state of your mental health plays a big role in sustaining sobriety. By exercising, you can ward off feelings of anger, anxiety, stress, and depression.
Get Help
If you’ve tried everything and feel as if you haven’t progressed, then you should seek professional help. Receiving anger management treatment or mental health treatment can guide you in the right direction. If you choose not to receive treatment and your anger persists, then you may increase your chances of relapse and causing harm to yourself and others.
At Banyan Massachusetts, we understand that managing negative emotions in recovery is difficult and relapse is a real risk. Relapse is often part of the recovery process, and there are ways to treat it if it occurs. Our stabilization program helps patients who have relapsed get back on their feet. They also learn new ways to manage their addiction cravings in sobriety.
If you or someone you know has a problem with substance abuse, call us now at 888-280-4763.
