Managing Anger Effectively

As public safety professionals, you likely face high-stress situations regularly. The nature of your work often brings you face to face with high stakes situations, conflicts, and intense emotional interactions. In this context, it’s natural to experience feelings of anger or frustration. However, managing these emotions effectively is key to your personal well-being and professional performance.

It is, therefore, important to understand how anger manifests, why it’s important to manage it, and how to navigate anger effectively using evidence-based strategies like Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).

Understanding Anger

Anger is a natural and instinctive emotional response to situations, people or events that we perceive as threatening, unsafe or unfair. It’s part of the fight-or-flight response which evolved to keep us safe by reacting to danger or threats. However, while anger is an instinctive emotion, it can become concerning if it’s not managed appropriately .

For public safety personnel, anger may be triggered by witnessing violence, interacting with upset individuals, facing life-threatening situations, or dealing with undesirable bureaucratic processes. While anger itself is not harmful, the ways we manage and express it are critical. Anger-related actions typically cause more harm than the anger itself. Chronic, unmanaged anger can lead to stress, burnout, and even health problems such as hypertension and cardiovascular issues (Denson et al., 2013). For public safety personnel, managing anger is vital not only for personal health but also for effective job performance and public safety.

Unmanaged Anger

People who don’t have effective ways to manage their anger (which is a lot of people) tend to react to anger in one of two unhelpful ways:

1.      Acting on anger: mounting anger or frustration is discharged with aggression. This can include things like shouting, blaming, putting others down, name calling, physical aggression or breaking things. It can also include more subtle behaviours like eye rolling, looking disgusted, saying passive aggressive or judgmental things, gossip or giving the silent treatment.

2.      Suppressing anger: Suppression is the opposite of acting out. When anger intensifies, we often try to do whatever it takes to avoid, stop, suppress or numb the anger. This could include avoiding any situations which may trigger anger. Or any form of self-medicating such as drinking, substance use, or other addictive behaviours like shopping, gaming, gambling, or sexual behaviours. People might do whatever it takes to stop the anger, even if the strategy causes more problems in the long-term.

Managing Anger Effectively Through Mindfulness

Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment. This practice can help public safety personnel become more aware of their emotions as they arise and prevent knee-jerk reactions that can escalate situations. By practicing mindfulness, you can notice and name your anger without being overwhelmed by it, giving you time to pause and respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.

Mindfulness Strategies to Manage Anger:

1. Breathing Techniques: When you feel anger building, take slow, deep breaths. Focus on the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body. This simple technique can help calm the body's fight-or-flight response, reducing the intensity of anger.

2. Grounding: Use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to ground yourself in the present moment. Identify 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. This practice brings you out of your emotional reaction and back into the present moment. This skill is most effective when practiced in a safe environment, if you in an unsafe situation (ie. responding to a violent call) this may not be the appropriate time to utilize this skill. It can be highly effective when anger is triggered by our thoughts or situations that are not unsafe but are perceived as threatening in some way. For example, if you are responding with anger during a conflict with a partner or family member. Grounding can help calm your nervous system and interrupt a reactive response.

3. Body Scanning: Pay attention to physical sensations in your body that accompany anger (e.g., clenched fists, tight jaw). Becoming aware of these signals early can help you intercept the emotional response before it escalates.

Research Evidence: Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce anger and aggressive behavior in various settings, including law enforcement (Zeidner et al., 2015).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Challenging Unhelpful Thought Patterns

CBT is a therapeutic approach that focuses on identifying, challenging and changing unhelpful ways of thinking. It’s based on the understanding that our thoughts influence our emotions and behaviors. In the context of anger, CBT helps public safety personnel identify irrational or unhelpful thoughts that fuel anger, such as overgeneralizing or blaming others, and replace those thoughts with more realistic, helpful and balanced perspectives.

CBT Strategies for Anger Management:

1. Cognitive Restructuring: When you feel angry, ask yourself, “What am I thinking right now? Is this thought accurate? Is this thought helpful right now? Is this thought necessary?” Try to challenge unhelpful beliefs such as "This is unfair," or "I can't stand this." Reframe them to something more balanced like, "This is difficult, but I can handle it" or "I may not agree, but I can manage my reaction."

2. Problem-Solving: Anger often arises when we feel helpless in a situation. Use problem-solving techniques to address the source of your frustration. Ask yourself, "What can I do to improve the situation?" and focus on actionable solutions rather than ruminating on the problem.

3. Behavioural Change: When you catch yourself spiraling into negative or angry thoughts, see if you can redirect your attention and energy into another activity. Changing what we’re doing behaviourally can change how we’re feeling emotionally. You could try going for a walk, doing a few jumping jacks or exercising, drinking a glass of water, listening to or watching something funny or calming.

Research Evidence: Studies have shown that CBT is highly effective in reducing anger, aggression, and emotional dysregulation (Novaco, 2003). It helps individuals recognize and change thought patterns that fuel anger, leading to healthier emotional responses.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Embracing Emotions Without Letting Them Control You

ACT encourages individuals to accept their emotions rather than fight against them. This therapeutic approach emphasizes psychological flexibility, which allows you to remain present, even when faced with intense emotions like anger, and make choices that align with your values.

ACT Strategies for Anger Management:

1. Cognitive Defusion: Instead of identifying with your angry thoughts, practice seeing them as just thoughts. For example, if you're thinking "I'm so angry right now," try reframing it as, "I'm noticing that I'm having the thought that I am angry." This simple shift helps you detach from the emotion and reduces its power.

2. Mindful Acceptance: Instead of trying to push away or suppress anger, allow yourself to feel it. Acknowledge it as a natural emotion but we don't need to let it dictate our behavior. By accepting the emotion without judgment, you can move through it without acting on impulse.

3. Value-Based Action: ACT focuses on aligning your actions with your core values. When angry, reflect on your values and ask, “How can I act like the person I want to be in this moment?” For instance, do you want to be kind, caring, open-minded, accepting, independent, courageous or flexible? This approach helps you choose actions that reflect your deeper priorities rather than reacting impulsively.

Research Evidence: ACT has been shown to improve emotional regulation and reduce anger, especially in high-stress professions like law enforcement and healthcare (Levin et al., 2012). By accepting rather than avoiding anger, ACT can help public safety personnel stay grounded and respond with clarity.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) for Anger Management

DBT emphasizes the development of practical skills in 4 areas: emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness and interpersonal effectiveness. While DBT was originally created for those with severe emotion dysregulation, it’s principles and skills are valuable for anyone struggling with anger.

DBT Strategies for Anger Management:

1.      TIPP: Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, Paired Muscle Relaxation. In the heat of an angry moment, try engaging with some sort of cold temperature. You could dunk your face in an ice bath, run your hands under cold water, blast the AC in your car, or place an ice pack on your forehead or the back of your neck. This stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which helps calm intense emotions. Engaging in a short burst of intense physical activity, such as doing some jumping jacks or running can help release built up tension and re-focus your mind. Paced breathing could involve taking slow, deep breaths to regulate your body physiologically. Paired muscle relaxation involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in order to reduce physical tension, induce mental relaxation, and help ground yourself.

2.      Opposite Action: If you’re feeling angry, try noticing the action impulse. Perhaps you feel the urge to yell at someone, start an argument, or lash out. Try choosing the opposite action. For instance, if you feel like shouting, choose to speak calmly and quietly. If you want to address or attack someone, try stepping away from the situation instead. If you want to say something harsh or cruel, try saying something nice or neutral.

3.      DEAR MAN: a skill for assertive communication which can help you express your perspective calmly and clearly rather than responding with anger. The acronym stands for:

D – Describe the situation by stating facts without exaggeration or bias.

E – Express your feelings using “I” statements such as “I feel _____ because ___”

A – Assert your needs by expressing what you want in a clear, direct manner

R – Reinforce your position by explaining the positive outcomes of your request

M – be Mindful by staying focused on the present moment, avoid getting side-tracked

A – Appear confident by using body language and facial expressions which convey confidence

N – Negotiate and be willing to compromise as needed

Putting It All Together: A Holistic Approach to Anger Management

Managing anger is an ongoing process, especially for public safety personnel who face unpredictable and often dangerous situations. By integrating Mindfulness, CBT, ACT and DBT strategies, you can build a toolbox of techniques to navigate difficult emotions more effectively.

Try writing down which strategies help the most so that you can better remember and use them next time you need them.

By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you can further reduce the intensity of your emotional responses, prevent burnout, and enhance your effectiveness in high-pressure situations.

Resources and Support

If you're looking for further resources to support your emotional health, consider seeking out professional counseling or complete self-directed or therapist-guided courses focused on mindfulness, CBT, ACT or DBT.

PSP Net: This organization offers various therapeutic resources including self-guided and therapist-guided CBT courses and practical resources for PSP and their families.

PSPNET | Home

Warrior Health: This resource offers courses in CBT for PSP and their families, as well as providing assessment tools, psychoeducational content, and peer support.

Anonymous on-demand, stigma-free resources for public safety personnel and their families | Warrior Health

References

• Denson, T. F., et al. (2013). "The effects of acute anger on cardiovascular reactivity and emotional regulation." Psychological Science, 24(3), 198-202.

• Zeidner, M., et al. (2015). "Mindfulness-based interventions for police officers: A pilot study." International Journal of Police Science & Management, 17(2), 125-133.

• Novaco, R. W. (2003). "Anger control: The development and evaluation of an experimental treatment." Springer Science & Business Media.

• Levin, M. E., et al. (2012). "The effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the treatment of anger." Behavior Modification, 36(6), 860-883.