Everyone feels angry sometimes—it's a normal, healthy human emotion. But if you are getting angry more often than you'd like or flying off the handle about small things, it might be time to take some steps to better manage your anger so you can lead a happier and more peaceful life and avoid acting out toward your family, which can sometimes lead to domestic violence charges or other legal issues. Here are five phone apps that can help you get your anger under control:

• AIMS for Anger Management: Developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, AIMS is designed to help you manage your feelings of anger and your response to frustrating events in life. It offers anger management tools and allows you to track your emotions and reactions, so you can see your progress over time. The app is designed to work in conjunction with a VA course called Anger and Irritability Management Skills, but both the course and the app are publicly available to anyone who wants to utilize one or both of them.
• Headspace: Meditation can be a great tool for managing anger, as it encourages you to view your emotions and experiences with a degree of detachment instead of getting carried away in the moment. If you'd like to try meditating as an anger-management tool, Headspace is a great place to start. This app offers guided meditations, some lasting only a few minutes, to address a variety of issues, including stress, trouble sleeping, depression, and anger. There is growing evidence that meditation can benefit almost everyone in managing their mental health and responding to life's stresses in a healthy way that can allow you to steer clear of legal trouble.
• Wysa: Drawing on AI technology, Wysa is a chatbot that responds to your input to help you better understand and express your emotions and develop greater emotional resiliency. The AI uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based tools to respond to what you're feeling and suggest tools that can help you improve your mental health, including managing your anger. This is something between a self-help app and speaking with a therapist.
• Angrr: Angrr describes itself as a “comprehensive anger management app,” offering a test to help you identify your anger issues, material to help you understand the causes of anger, tools to help you manage anger outbursts, and a journal to track your progress. When used consistently, the tools in this app can help you reduce your feelings of anger and manage anger better when it does rear its head. However, it's worth noting that this app is currently only available on Android phones.
• BetterHelp: If self-help apps aren't helping you get your anger under control, it might be a good idea to think about speaking to a therapist so you can get personalized guidance that fits your life and your personality. BetterHelp can match you with a therapist who meets your needs. You can communicate with them over video call or text, as suits your schedule. Speaking with a therapist is a great way to navigate complicated issues and express your emotions in a safe space.

When Anger Has Legal Consequences

When anger gets the best of you, it can sometimes lead to legal trouble, including charges of domestic violence or child abuse. Our Criminal Law Team and the LLF Law Firm Team can help if you are facing legal charges in Pennsylvania as a result of your actions due to anger. One emotional reaction shouldn't define the rest of your life. Contact us online or call 888.535.3686 today to discuss your situation and get the representation you need to tell your side of the story in court.