Anger with Bi-polar

I have had many issues with my bi-polar. I have read many books, gone to the therapist, but it is very hard to stop myself from becoming irrational when I am upset. Does any recommend any steps to stay come when something another person says or does triggers you into a state of irritability and annoyance? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am for once in my life really taking getting help serious after many years. I was even put on medical leave and am going to an outpatient facility to get help.

Good morning. Some of my techniques I use are to go to sleep and reset my brain chemistry to stop ruminating (I ruminate because of OCD and anger); I journal. One of the things I do is catastrophify the event. What is the absolute worse that could happen (I do journal everything). Quick bullets are good here. Once I walk through that it removes fear, hurt, anger because I've worked it out. Then I do something else, I ask myself "what else could it be"? It helps me to brainstorm, think of previous behavior, how I may be correct or incorrect...what else could it be. These tools have helped me considerably because it changes my track of thinking and it helps me stop ruminating and screaming in my head. It brings me back to calm because it opens options and it desensitizes the event and I'm more in control than I thought. This is what works for me. I hope it helps others too.

Honestly, the best thing for me to combat irritability is, if it's an option, having the irritating conversation over messaging rather than voice. You can mumble all of the insults to yourself you want and spit at your screen all while remaining calm.

Aside from that, I have a fidget ring that is EXTREMELY helpful and it's basically a ring that has two separate bits so you can spin the outer ring around the inner ring. They're meant for stimming and anxiety and I have found they work wonders for anger.

I attended a program called Managing Strong Emotions. Doesn't matter if you have bipolar, depression, anxiety etc no mental illness, anger is a normal emotion, It perfectly fine to be angry everyone does at some stage it doesn't discriminate, but some more than others. Everybody experiences it and what makes it different is what you do with that anger. In general you feel anger coming on before it is released. That is what you need to learn how to tap into that feeling, recognise your markers that you are going to get angry feeling tense muscles, heart races, sweating, stomach surges etc - this the key to managing your anger. Do you know when you are starting to feel angry? That is where you start to manage it.

For me I have traffic light dot system all over the house so that I see them all time to remind me how I respond to anger. Doesn't always work (accept that these sometimes don't work) but I find it does help me when I do it

The red dot is to stop, you are having that surge inside you feel that anger arising from the pit of your stomach. There is a trigger, something is not right, someone something upsetting you. Recognise it

The yellow dot is think and listen - do I need to go out release steam - walk run etc
What is not feeling right, what do I want to do, how do I respond, listen, what is real what isn't take a breath
Slowing down the process gives time to think about issue more rationally - what to say and what to do.

The Green dot - go. Respond after thinking and give it a go

Hope it helps

I'm having a really hard time with irritability today. I was so chill and happy, like one of those Folgers commercials. Then my husband came in and tried to take me from a level 2 energy to a 10. I nicely said I am fine, but to calm down a bit because it was too much just then. He kept pushing and pushing. I was trying to eat breakfast with him and there's no escaping that without triggering him to be really hurt (which makes him angry) and starting a fight. That was the last thing I could handle, so I battled to raise my energy to meet halfway. But he could not come down to meet me. Does anyone understand this feeling/situation? I could use some support and suggestions right now other than "step away", because that wasn't an option.

Anger is one of the hardest things for me. I am not an angry person. I don't like conflict. I try to keep peace with everyone. Sometimes though, a sudden rage comes over me that I don't even have time to think of a response to, I simply act aggressively in a split second. It scares me soooo much. And it scares my family. And whenever I am feeling like I might be in an episode or around people that are potentially toxic to me, I avoid going out. So yes, it disrupts my life, and others feel offended when I don't show up to things, like family events, but they don't understand that it is for their safety. :( I really feel like it is just out of control. Sometimes it goes beyond just throwing things, I have physically attacked before. Something I would NEVER ever ever do. But I did. :( Thankfully Lamictal has been helping.

whitesunglas, my hubby has done that to me as well. It's been a long time though. It was before I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. I would just fly off the handle. He would ask me what was wrong (I'm one to wear my emotions on my face) and I would tell him I didn't want to talk about it right then but he would keep pushing until it turned into a yelling match. What I'm trying to say is that you aren't alone in this situation.

After struggling for years with sometimes violent rages and road rage, and seeking treatments and medications, I've realized that the anger that makes me want to kill people and smash things is simply part of my depressive cycle.

This anger comes when I get sick and tired of - and angry at - being depressed.

It helps me to know that it typically has no "original cause" (besides bilorsrity itself) and will go away by itself, as a function of my moods. I just have to wait.

I take medications so as not to ruminate on angry schemes during the hours when I'd otherwise be trying to fall asleep.

(When I was about nine years old, I got a pipe wrench and dtood over my twin brother, willing myself to hit him in the head with it. So, this is a longstanding problem.)

I guess my way of dealing with it to try not to ruminate, avoid situations with unnecessary conflict.

I have decided that I never want to be commited to a hospital again, so I neither act out angrily (nor suicidality) in front of health professionals, nor say that I might .

Anger comes when I'm not getting what I want. My doctor says to deal with this by telling myself I might get what I want later on.