Anger issues are often more associated with men. However, women also experience anger. There’s a stigma that exists that shames women for feeling angry. In turn, this causes many to feel guilty for being angry, causing them to suppress their anger.
Suppressing any emotion, no matter what it is, can damage mental health, leading to anxiety or depression. The key to helping women manage anger will look differently than it would for a man. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to manage anger as a woman. Let’s talk about some signs of anger in women, what causes it, and finally, how to manage it.
Signs Of Anger In Women
There are many ways that anger issues manifest in a woman. Not every woman will experience all of these symptoms.
- Frequently arguing with people
- Irritability
- Social isolation
- Violent outbursts
- Shaking
- Racing heart
- Anxiety
- Depression
What Causes Anger Issues In Women?
It’s important to remember that anyone, regardless of age or gender, can experience anger. Anger, when it happens, is natural. However, it becomes a problem when someone experiences it frequently.
Societal expectations about a woman, her body, and her place in the world can be a major cause of anger. Women will commonly experience it during their postpartum period after birth. Additionally, being a mom and caregiver for her whole family can put a lot of strain and stress on her.
Some other factors that contribute to anger issues are:
- Lack of confidence or poor self-esteem
- Difficulty trusting others
- Living up to high expectations that she feels from society, people in her life, or herself
- Stereotypes that are placed on women
- Lack of communication with her partner or in other relationships
5 Anger Management Tips For Women
1. Breathing Techniques
A great way to manage anger or anxiety is through deep breathing exercises. Take a deep breath in, hold it for a second or two, then slowly exhale. Using your breath patterns can help your body and mind relax during a stressful or heated moment.
2. Exercise
Exercising is a great way to relieve stress and anger. It helps release endorphins in the body that promote happiness and well-being. You don’t have to do a full workout to get the benefits of exercise to reduce your feelings of anger. Even short walks, yoga, or a quick kickboxing workout can be beneficial.
3. Journaling
Even if you aren’t comfortable talking about your issues, you can still release them to feel better. Journaling is a fantastic way to release the thoughts and emotions of what you are feeling. Instead of suppressing them inside, write about them. Afterward, you can rip the pages up and throw them away. Or, you can save them to track your growth by managing your anger.
4. Understand What You Can Control
We can control many things in life, but there’s an equal amount of things we can’t. Understanding what is in your power and what is not can help you manage the anger you are feeling. It would be nice if we had a magic wand to make all of our problems disappear, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Understanding control can help you learn how to better manage your reactions and behaviors to certain situations.
5. Self-Care
Women tend to take care of everybody else first and themselves last. But you are just as important as everyone else, whether you believe that or not.
Be sure to tend to your own emotional needs and your own desires. Take a break every once in a while to take care of yourself.
If you are struggling to control your anger, don’t hesitate to reach out. Anxiety treatment can help you feel like you are in more control of your emotions.