In mild cases, the more you understand your anger and what stimulates it, the more likely it is that you will acquire ways to manage it better and stop it becoming aggressive. It may help to accept that your feelings are neither good nor bad, but are trying to convey something to you.

When you feel angry or experience any feelings related to anger upset, annoyance, frustration, resentment or feeling judgemental , then undertake some self-reflection and ask yourself questions such as, 'Is my anger masking some other feelings?' If the answer is 'yes', then acknowledge these feelings. Here are some means by which to manage symptoms of frustration and anger when they surface in order to diminish your tendency to be aggressive.

Accept that anger is not a bad thing to feel or express  Anger is a normal and natural feeling and it is acceptable to express it. The biggest obstacle to assertive communication is the belief that anger is bad and expressing it is inappropriate.

Understanding moods

You may be someone who experiences mood swings - low moods, bad moods, increased anxiety or irritability. You may occasionally overreact to things that normally wouldn't bother you. This is normal.

• New ways of managing moods. Try to find new ways of coping with emotions such as anger, upset, annoyance, stress. Sometimes just allowing yourself a few moments to recognize how you are feeling can help. One can permit feelings and accept them as neither good nor bad but indicators of our well-being, without always having to act on them.
• Press pause. Take some quiet time out of the day and press the 'pause' button. Walk away, count to ten, distract yourself, keep quiet, bite your tongue. This buys some time out from your anger and frustration.
• Ask yourself: What things might I try to stop me getting angry? Breathing, positive self-talk, exercise, talking to someone I trust, assertiveness.