We all experience anger at some point or the other. You might have noticed that a particular situation makes you feel angry at one point but not at another time. For example, you may get stuck in traffic one day while heading to work and it could really make your blood boil, and then there could be days when being stuck on the road would not bother you at all. This is because it is not solely an external event that determines how we feel, but it is the manner in which we interpret/think about each situation that controls how we feel about it. These feelings then determine how we react to the situation. 
In events that make us feel anger, a combination of physical/physiological, social, and intellectual factors make us feel, think, and behave in a manner that conveys anger or aggression. 
How feelings of anger can spiral into acts of aggression can be deconstructed in the following manner, using the following example situation. 

Event: There is a group of people near your house who create a rumpus after drinking every other night. 
Belief/Thoughts: You believe that they MUST NOT make any noise and they SHOULD RESPECT people around them. 
Feeling: The minute you hear these people making noise, you feel angry, annoyed and outraged. 
Action/Consequences: You lie awake feeling angry and upset and don't get back to sleep for a long time. You go out of the balcony and shout at them or get into a brawl, etc. You demand that they change their behaviour. 

However, if you changed your belief to "Drunken people are often noisy, but it's no BIG deal. I don't like it, but I can deal with what I don't like (Alternative Belief).  

Maybe I will touch base with them in the morning (when they are sober) or report to the community secretary or the landlord first thing in the morning (Alternate behaviour)". 

You feel calmer, more in control and less irritated (Feelings). 

Changing our beliefs or actions doesn't mean that we should never try to change our external reality. It means that we choose to think and feel differently instead of falling into the pattern of feeling outraged and reacting with strong anger. Sometimes, it is appropriate- it's when it isn't an appropriate or effective response that we can choose to have a different response in order to feel better. 

When you understand and gain awareness of your angry reactions, you would be able to change your beliefs and actions more effectively. A worksheet you could use by yourself to build such awareness is given below: 

Date/Time: 

Trigger/Event: 

Body Sensations: 

Emotions: 

Thoughts/ Beliefs: 

Behaviour/ Consequences: 
 

 
Alternate Belief/ Thoughts: 

 
 
Alternate Feelings: 

 
 
Alternate Behaviour/Consequences: 

The awareness from such an exercise can help you reduce the effect anger has on your body, mind, and personal and workplace relationships thereby ensuring an overall experience of happiness in life. 

When you manage and express your anger more openly and constructively it would be less damaging as opposed to carrying the hurt along with you. 

If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help.