7 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR COOL WITH BIPOLAR ANGER

If you often experience uncontrollable rage with bipolar disorder, having strategies in place can prevent escalation. Here are tips to help manage your anger.

Everyone experiences an occasional angry outburst — it’s simply part of being human. However, when bipolar disorder is involved, these flashes of anger might be more closely connected to your diagnosis. Mood specialists make a clear distinction between ordinary, sporadic bursts of anger and the persistent irritability and rage that can manifest as symptoms of bipolar disorder. The latter can endure for several days and are particularly prevalent during manic episodes or agitated states of depression.

Fortunately, with a strong self-awareness foundation — and possibly your family’s support — you can learn to manage these intense emotions effectively. By recognizing the early signs of an emotional surge, you can take steps to prevent a full-blown rage episode. This proactive approach can help you maintain control and prevent the situation from escalating, preserving your well-being and relationships. Here are seven options to help:

1. Identify and Act on Your Warning Signs

It is crucial to recognize early signs of irritability, agitation, and annoyance before they escalate into full-blown anger or aggression. When you start to feel agitated, take a moment to pause and reflect on the reasons behind these feelings. Ask yourself some probing questions: Am I upset about something specific? What is it, and why does it bother me? Have I gotten enough sleep? Did I take my medication as scheduled? Could I be feeling depressed?

Understanding what you are feeling and why you’re feeling it allows you to take proactive steps to care for yourself. Such self-awareness is vital for intercepting potentially troublesome emotions before they lead to an outburst. Consider incorporating relaxation techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, or gentle yoga into your routine. These practices can help stabilize your mood and enhance your ability to manage stress, adding an extra layer of defense against emotional escalation.

2. Redirect Your Thoughts

Anger is bursting with energy and naturally spikes your adrenaline, giving you a strong urge to act immediately. To manage this adrenaline-fueled impulse, it’s essential to focus on your thoughts and try to redirect them. This takes practice; purposefully interrupting and mindfully changing your thought process in moments of strong impulses and intense feelings is challenging but beneficial.

Many people rely on the age-old strategy of taking a deep breath and counting to 10 — a method that has stood the test of time because it truly works. For others, humming or singing the words to an inspirational, soothing, or even humorous song can be incredibly effective in diffusing anger. The key is to have your go-to song or technique ready to use whenever you feel the rage building.

RELATED: Bipolar Disorder and Anger: Understanding and Getting Control of Irritability

3. Find a Positive Outlet for Your Feelings

Many find that journaling can be a powerful way to release their emotions when they escalate. Whether putting pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard, expressing emotions through writing can constructively support your mental health. Additionally, others find relief by engaging with nature or dancing to their favorite music. Physical activities like these stimulate the release of feel-good endorphins.

Research has also highlighted the benefits of exercise beyond just mood improvement. When you exercise, your brain releases a protein called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which is crucial in maintaining brain health. BDNF helps fend off the effects of aging on the brain, combats depression, and may even reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Physical activities offer immediate emotional relief and long-term brain health benefits.

4. Recognize When You Are Predisposed to Becoming Angry

When you’re feeling irritable and annoyed, it’s not the ideal time to tackle sensitive topics. While there might not always be a “perfect time” for difficult discussions, it can be helpful to identify times during the week when you feel most stable and capable of addressing potentially upsetting issues.

Keeping a journal to record your feelings and activities can also be beneficial. This helps you spot common themes, patterns, and triggers over time, making choosing the best moments for meaningful conversations easier. This approach allows you to manage your emotions and communicate more constructively effectively.

5. Ask Family Members to Participate in Helping With Anger Management

Consider bringing family members to your next therapy session to work together on identifying collective anger-management strategies specifically tailored to your bipolar symptoms related to irritability, anger, and bipolar rage. Planning ahead like this allows those closest to you to better understand and recognize your triggers and helps them support you in coping with potentially volatile situations.

The key to any effective management strategy is to agree on a plan in advance. This collaborative approach enhances understanding and support within the family and reinforces a unified strategy for managing difficult emotions.

6. Talk With Your Doctor

There are medication strategies that might help manage your symptoms and reduce the intensity and frequency of anger outbursts. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can also be a valuable tool. It teaches you to recognize and cope with the triggers that lead to angry explosions. Adding Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can further enhance your ability to handle intense emotions. DBT focuses on building skills like mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and improving relationships, which are crucial for those prone to anger.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that sleep is crucial to your mood. A lack of proper sleep can be an early sign of changing moods and can trigger feelings of irritability. Incorporating regular physical activity into your routine can also play a significant role in managing anger. Exercise not only helps reduce stress but also boosts your mood through the release of endorphins, which are natural mood lifters.

RELATED: 6 Things About Bipolar Anger You Might Not Know

7. Consider Your Health

Studies have shown that rage can significantly impact your health in harmful ways. When we get angry, our bodies naturally trigger a fight-or-flight response, releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are meant to help us in short-term survival situations, but they can be damaging when activated too often or for too long.

Continuous high levels of these stress hormones can wear down our health across various systems. This ongoing hormonal imbalance can weaken our immune system, increase our blood pressure, and raise our risk of heart disease. Additionally, the constant stress from ongoing anger can lead to other serious health issues, including mental health challenges, digestive problems, and an overall decline in well-being.

UPDATED: Originally posted October 29, 2016

The post 7 Tips to Keep Your Cool With Bipolar Anger appeared first on bpHope.com.

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