Hi mforbez. Welcome to Psych Central. Sorry you are having anger problems. I know anger has been a toughie for me. The world is such a controlling place that is so difficult to be who I really am. The problem with anger is it does not hurt anyone else; but it hurts me. I feel worse after expressing anger. I have been up many a pillow, but I never really feel better so I am trying other ways.

One thing I try is a breathing exercise to focus on breath instead of fighting with the thoughts. If you are feeling very anxious or angry or just want to calm down, you can try a breathing exercise that takes the attention away from the trigger of anxiety to a simple tool of counting breaths.

Find a comfortable position seated or laying down. Breathe naturally, and silently count 1 on the inhale, and two on the exhale. Then 3 on the inhale and 4 on the exhale. Continue up to 10 or until you lose the count then return to one. No judgement. I sometimes end up at 18 then smile and return to 1. The idea is to focus on the breath and the counting and not get sucked into the anxiety or anger trigger. Also works to quiet the mind.

In the meantime, lifestyle changes can give a little boost. Here are some of the things that help me. I have to watch what I eat because foods I eat can stabilize my moods or exaggerate them. A high protein low carb diet with snacks or meals every 3-4 hours will over time reduce my swings. I also avoid alcohol and recreational drugs because those can really increase depression. If needed you could seek help for withdrawing from self medicating with increase in meds.

Other lifestyle changes that help me are doing yoga, exercises, mindfulness, calm music, and being active on Psych Central.