Why am I so angry?

[CoughLaughFart]

I’m sorry if this is the wrong place to post - I usually only ever use AIBU.

Anyway, I really could do with some anger management tips. I’d love to be able to let things wash over me like other people do, but I just can’t. It’s not that there’s no justification for my anger - in fact in many ways, I’m proud that I will speak up and won’t take shit if things go wrong or people treat me badly. But sometimes I just really want to switch off and move on, which I struggle to do. Something pisses me off and I’m still seething hours or days later. I need to give myself a break and I don’t know how.

Could it be a kind of coping mechanism that you developed as a child, in order to cope in some specific situations, and that it has become a habit and now it kicks in every now and then, but it's not helpful anymore?

I had a lot of anger last year and it was exhausting. No one realised but I was seething as a base emotion and anything added to that was too much.

It turns out I had moderately severe anxiety. I'm also peri menopausal and that's so much fun ( hot flushes in the summer heat is why I'm awake now). Sleep disturbance, hormones and anxiety = anger for me.

I've been taking a low dose antidepressant ( changed until I found the right one) for 6 months and attended a beginners CBT course. It's not perfect but so much better.

Go to the GP. Anger is a normal emotion ( despite what some may say) but if it's taking over areas of your life and you're struggling it's probably a medical situation. Much sympathy. It's a lonely and exhausting place to be.