By Carol Goh
Need support with anger that feels hard to control? Book an appointment, contact us, or WhatsApp us for a quicker response.
It goes without saying that we have all felt angry at some point—whether a fleeting annoyance or full-fledged rage. Anger is a normal human emotion; in fact, it can be healthy at times.
When does anger become an issue? Broadly, we can express, suppress, or calm anger. When we cannot manage anger in a healthy way, it becomes destructive or uncontrolled, affecting mental health, daily life, and the people around us.
Below are 4 anger management strategies to help you stay calm.
1) Take a step back to re-evaluate
Why are you feeling angry? Is there a clear trigger?
Before anger consumes you, pause and breathe, then challenge dramatic thoughts.
Instead of “things never go my way,” try “it’s understandable I feel upset, but staying angry won’t resolve this.”
2) Relax
Relaxation techniques reduce the physiological surge of anger:
- Slow breathing (inhale 4, exhale 6)
- Grounding imagery (visualise a calming place)
- Brief meditation (60–120 seconds)
Relaxing your body restores clarity and emotional control.
3) Step away and get outside
If a situation is heating up, remove yourself and step outdoors.
Time in nature can reduce anger, stress, blood pressure, muscle tension, heart rate, and stress hormones. Even a short walk helps.
4) Talk to someone
Share what’s on your mind with a calming, trusted person.
Talking helps you make sense of thoughts, releases pressure, and offers perspective.
Seeking professional help for anger
The strategies above help in the moment, but long-term change requires addressing root causes. Anger is often a secondary emotion—linked to pain, fear, shame, humiliation, worthlessness, or past hurts. Common contributors include:
- Relationship problems; trouble at work
- Feeling unappreciated or unfairly treated (e.g., bullied, ostracised, openly criticised, betrayed, wrongly accused)
- Low self-esteem; feelings of inferiority; desire to assert power or seek revenge
- Neglect, abandonment, isolation, alienation
- Trauma and abuse (emotional, physical, sexual, psychological)
- Unrealistic parental expectations and comparisons
Anger can also co-occur with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Identifying and treating the primary emotions and root causes is key.
Anger management therapy with Emotional Wellness
As a Singapore counselling centre, we offer an in-house RENEW programme for anger:
- Identify and resolve past hurts that keep anger alive
- Use a suite of therapies—EMDR, Schema Therapy, Gestalt, CBT, visualisation, and more—to reduce reactivity and build durable skills
Learn more about our methods: Psychotherapy, EMDR, Schema Therapy. We also support related areas such as Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Trauma, and OCD.
Ready to start?
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Book an appointment (in-person or online)
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Contact us or
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The information in this article is for educational purposes and isn’t a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
