Why Anger Management Gets Overlooked — And Why That Matters
By Maya Rodriguez, LPC • 1/18/2025
Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to struggle with why anger management gets overlooked — and why that matters. It creeps in gradually, like a volume knob being turned up so slowly you don't notice until everything is deafening.
What to Try This Week
I want to be careful here because this gets oversimplified a lot.
When I was in training, my supervisor said something that I still think about: "People don't come to therapy because they're broken. They come because they're stuck." There's a crucial difference.
The Nuance Nobody Mentions
This is where things get interesting — and where most generic advice falls short.
The approach I recommend to most clients follows this sequence:
Week 1-2: Awareness. Don't try to change anything. Just notice when it happens. What triggered it? What were you doing? What time of day? Track it in your phone.
Week 3-4: Experimentation. Try one new coping strategy each week. See what resonates. Discard what doesn't.
Week 5-8: Consistency. Take the strategies that worked and build them into your daily routine. Attach them to existing habits (after brushing teeth, during commute, before bed).
Ongoing: Adjustment. What works changes over time. Stay flexible. Give yourself permission to try new approaches.
Moving Forward
I want to be careful here because this gets oversimplified a lot.
The approach I recommend to most clients follows this sequence:
Week 1-2: Awareness. Don't try to change anything. Just notice when it happens. What triggered it? What were you doing? What time of day? Track it in your phone.
Week 3-4: Experimentation. Try one new coping strategy each week. See what resonates. Discard what doesn't.
Week 5-8: Consistency. Take the strategies that worked and build them into your daily routine. Attach them to existing habits (after brushing teeth, during commute, before bed).
Ongoing: Adjustment. What works changes over time. Stay flexible. Give yourself permission to try new approaches.
If I could leave you with one thing, it's this: you're not failing at feeling better. You're learning. And learning is messy and slow and frustrating. But it works, eventually, if you keep showing up.
NEHA is here to support your wellness journey, but we always encourage connecting with a licensed professional for ongoing mental health concerns.