Constant Anger

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So, lately I have noticed a distinct increase in feelings of anger and annoyance. I am currently a college student living on campus at my community college, majoring in Computer Science. It is the 3rd semester of my Associate's Degree, and this comes after 3 years of working and living alone, with a year of homelessness prior to that.

This past summer was summer break, and I was living in what amounted to a shed in my parents' backyard due to a lack of room in the house itself. That was adequate for me, as I had an extension cord with which to power my computer, a decent WiFi signal, and a folding cot to sleep on. The bugs and temperature variants were annoyances, but manageable in the situation.

However, ever since coming back to the dorms, I have noticed a distinct rise in anger. I live with two roommates, one white and one black, in an apartment-style suite with three other men in single-occupant bedrooms. The problems seem to be common, run-of-the-mill issues such as: marijuana usage by most of the occupants, constant knocking and flow of friends in and out of the suite, loud music and video games, and general disorder and lack of cleanliness.

Even so, I find myself constantly annoyed and even contrary. My online girlfriend and I used to have wonderful conversations where we would create entire worlds and settings for potential game development, but now I find myself making wild claims that I do not support, and then getting offended when the claims are proven false, only to be confused as to why I made the claims in the first place. Many of my other online friends have started to ignore me due to my behavior, and I've had arguments with roommates.

I have a few theories as to what this sudden seemingly change in personality has occurred. One possibility could be that since I've gone from working full-time at a call center (work which was a living hell for me) to studying full-time without a job, my stress management level has decreased, thereby making any so-called 'normal' stress tip the balance.

Another possibility is that the constant stress of the past few years, coupled with ignored stress from the summer and other occurrences that I don't remember, has built up to a point that I can no longer control, and I should view this as some sort of slow-burn meltdown as opposed to the quick-burn meltdowns that I used to get.

A third possibility is co-morbidity, since I have an un-diagnosed neurological condition which results in psuedo-seizures triggered by changes in movement, such as rising from sitting, running from walking, or ascending/descending stairs. This increased anger could be a developed symptom from that instead, which I have falsely attributed to autism.

Any thoughts would be helpful. I don't think I'll see a doctor about this, as I have had bad experiences with them in the past. They always seem more interested in the seizures than the autism side of things, and when I get referred to specialists in either side, they are either woefully ill-prepared to assist me, or simple ignore my calls and refuse to set up appointments to see me.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

If you're not going to see a doctor, are you planning on staying angry all the time?

How much exercise do you get? Are you generally eating healthy foods? Are you addicted to anything (e.g. caffeine, alcohol, etc)?

I'm not sure what I plan on, to be honest. It's difficult to concentrate at the best of times, and this newfound aggression only exacerbates that. As for your questions, I am physically unfit. I do walk everywhere that I go, and take the stairs more often than not, but due in part to my major as well as my personal preferences, I am often sitting in front of a computer screen for hours on end. As a college student, while I have been making strides towards healthier living by eating salads more often, I usually end up grabbing pizza or a sandwich, as I have little time between classes to afford to wait for a custom-prepared salad option.

I believe that I have an addiction to caffeine, seeing as how little it seems to affect me these days. Even so, I have been known to suddenly drop it if I forget to drink it for a week or so, and suffer few effects of withdrawal. I have a natural resistance to alcohol, and never get hung over when I drink. However, the effects of alcohol also progress fairly fast, the high of being drunk only taking an hour or so to pass through my system, so I only drink at parties for social reasons.

Related to health, I find it hard to sleep, but that has always been an issue for me. I also haven't had sex in over a year, and haven't had a stable, physical relationship in several years. I have considered if a buildup of hormones due to sexual frustration is the issue, with no real answer found.

Thanks for answering my questions.

At age 25, I would agree you're testosterone level is still high and hasn't started to taper off yet as it inevitably will.

I asked about the exercise only because moderately vigorous exercise (brisk walking, jogging, hiking, etc) or other types of "cardio" if done for at least 45 minutes or longer releases endorphins, your body's natural opiates. "Runner's high" isn't a myth. I used to run for exercise before being sidelined by an injury. Getting to the point that your body releases endorphins, I can definitely say it creates a strong and fairly long lasting calming effect.

It's generally accepted that caffeine can contribute to irritability. I'm addicted to caffeine as well even though my dosage is actually quite low (3-4 cups/day).

Eating bad food regularly (I can be guilty of this too) can certainly affect a person's mood. If you don't feel great physically, your mood will reflect that.

sexual frustration can certainly affect one's mood.

Personally, if it were me based on what you've said, I would try to incorporate some fairly vigorous exercise into my routine of at least 45 minutes of duration, assuming you're physically capable of doing that. A very wise priest, who had counseled thousands of men during his years of active vocation once told me that as a man, activities such as chopping wood or punching a punching bag do wonders to help alleviate stress and anger. He reminded me of a shorter version of Jack Palance. I figure he knew what he was talking about.

Just some ideas to try to help you. I'm sorry you're feeling that way.

Thank you for your assistance and worry, it's much appreciated.

On the subject of relieving stress, I have actually found a couple of ways of doing that, though they are a bit odd. One way is to play a particularly difficult game that I've come to enjoy. After failing to do something specific a few times, I get very angry, to the point of shouting and hitting the desk. I only play for a few minutes a day, but it helps my mood greatly to have something to direct my aggression towards, safely. Another way is to listen to angry music, such as metal, and allow myself to rage like a madman as I dance to it. It can be a bit embarrassing, as I usually listen to music as I walk to class, but any little bit helps.

I also have found that if I'm chilly (I live in New York, so the winters can get deadly cold at times), getting angry tends to warm me up faster, which leads to a rush of endorphins. Meditation, unfortunately, has never been my strong suite. I tend to bounce my knee rapidly at all times due to stress, so sitting still for a while is torture to me.

Anger is not a problem. It should not be defined as a problem. Anger is your friend, it is what shows you the ways you have been abused and exploited. Anger will often by your impetus for redressing wrongs, rather than becoming an Uncle Tom.

Richard

Sleep can play an important role in feelings of anger.

You may wish to example those things which can contribute to poor sleep, such as caffeine and alcohol and overall diet. If you can adjust those to provide a more conducive environment for sleep, you'll probably feel better overall.

I've struggled with sleep for the longest time and I know the less sleep I get the more anger tendencies I can have. For the most part, I've learned to deal with it. Learning to deal with it is not a solution I'd recommend.

I don't exactly know how this works, but maybe you could try to contact your schools disability services and ask for housing accommodation? (Asking to be moved into a single-occupancy room for the same price as your current dorm)