Anger Issues: What They Are and How They Hurt Your Career

Like almost everything else, anger can positively affect your life, motivating you to work harder and produce better results—but only if it is moderated. Unfortunately, it is often challenging to manage the flow of anger; therefore, outbursts of anger are usually followed by arguments, fights, or even self-harm and assault.

This article delves into the realities of anger issues and how they affect your career.

Anger issues: the whats and whys

Anger comes with a physiological reaction: it triggers your fight-or-flight response, causing your adrenal glands to release stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol while your heart rate and blood pressure increase. Your body temperature rises, and you begin to perspire.

At this point, most choose to either express their anger or keep it bottled up. Neither of these responses are particularly useful.

An anger explosion typically occurs in individuals with little control over their emotions. Such behaviour can lead to arguments and violence and cause individuals to isolate themselves from their friends and family.

In some other cases, individuals might repress their anger. This is also unhealthy; it can lead to depression and anxiety. It may also translate into passive-aggressive behaviour and a cynical outlook, which hurt your interpersonal relationships.

Some common reasons behind anger issues include:

• Cut-throat competition: To move forward in life, one has to wade through the demands of the competitive job market. The commitment this journey requires often eats into individuals’ personal lives and enjoyment.
• Inability to face rejections: Success is treated as a “must-have” and failure as irrecoverable. However, this unrealistic expectation—one is bound to meet failure at some point in one’s life—inevitably leads to dejection and anger.
• Work pressure: Work is demanding. Individuals must keep up with their numerous deadlines and produce quality work, causing them to feel frustrated.

When confronted with these difficult situations, many fall victim to unmanaged anger and hurt their career.

How anger issues affect your career

Firstly, anger issues may damage your relationships, as aggressive and passive-aggressive behaviour can lead to conflicts with your colleagues, supervisors, and clients. Consequently, this affects your ability to work effectively with others.

Secondly, you may miss out on career opportunities. Employers generally look for individuals who can work effectively under pressure and keep their composure in times of stress. Hence, you may be passed over for promotions or leadership roles if you struggle to manage your anger.

Additionally, when your anger is unchecked, you will likely have more difficulty effectively communicating your thoughts and ideas. This may lead to misunderstandings that hinder your productivity.

Moreover, unprofessional behaviour resulting from unmanaged anger may lead to disciplinary action, which damages your reputation and can hurt your career.

What can you do?

One simple way to manage your anger issues is to learn relaxation techniques. Breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga can be beneficial as it encourages mindfulness.

It is also best to exercise regularly, which helps reduce stress and boost the production of mood-regulating neurotransmitters like endorphins.

You might consider counselling if you feel your anger is too much to manage alone. A mental health professional can help you identify the root cause and develop a strategy to help you change your thinking and behaviour.

Conclusion

Anger is a normal part of life. However, stepping back occasionally is essential to ensure that it is well-managed, as it may harm your personal and professional life.

For professional guidance, check out ExecutiveCounselling.com. We provide private counselling online in Singapore. We also offer infidelity and marriage counselling, life coaching services, and career counselling for professionals.