How to Control Anger

The emotion of anger is in all actuality is neither good nor bad.  Anger is actually a healthy and normal feeling in many situations, and this healthy form of anger may be regarded as "short term" anger.  However, the feeling of anger is not the true problem - Rather, the problem with anger is what you do with the feeling and whether or not you are destructive with your behavior.  Now, some people have chronic or long term anger, and long term anger and explosive anger can affect all aspects of your life, which includes your physical and emotional health. It can also be indicative of underlying problems such as anger management issues or another type of mental disorder. 

Controling Short Term Anger

Take a Break: When you know you are getting angry walk away, go to a quiet place, grab a cup of water.  Anything that will help you step away from the area or person and calm down.  Do this as soon as you recognize that you're angry. Anything that will help you step away from the frustrating situation will help.

• If you become angry at work, go to a separate room, to the break room, the bathroom or step outside for a moment.

• If you become angry at home, go to a different room, or go for a walk or car ride.  

• You can also close your eyes and try to imagine a quiet or happy peaceful place.
  

Take deep breaths:  Taking in deep breaths can slow down your breathing, racing heart, and pulse.  Taking deep breathes in through your nose and exhaling out your mouth can be very helpful. 

Imagery:  Closing your eyes and imagining a place you find relaxing or peaceful can help you calm down and manage your anger.  It is hard to be angry if you have a visualization of something happy on your mind. 

Be with others:  Talking with others can help you process your feelings and help them to de-escalate.  Talking to someone who you trust can help you.

Practice positive self-talk:  Positive self talk helps to boost confidence and get you in a better frame of mind.  It can help prepare you to positively discuss what is making you angry. 

Use humor:  Humor is a great for the mind, body and soul.  Humor also helps to manage negative feelings with a type of thought replacement.

Communicate Appropriately

Communicate:  Clearly express what you want from the other person with whom you are frustrated. If you just want a sounding board, state at the beginning that you don't want help or advice, just sympathy. If you're looking for a solution, let the other person know.

Set a time limit: Give yourself a set amount of time to vent about what's upsetting you, and stick to it - when time is up, your rant is over. This will help you move on instead of dwelling on the situation endlessly.

Controlling Long Term Anger

Exercise: Exercise helps to release positive neurotransmitters in the brain.

• Running or Jogging.
• Weight training.
• Cycling.
• Yoga or pilates.
• Basketball, baseball, football or soccer
• Swimming.
• Rock Climbing
  

Change the way you think:  Changing your thoughts can help you to see the situation from a different perspective.  Use of positive thinking or thought replacement can help you to better manage feelings of anger.

Journal:  Writing down your feelings can help you to release your negative emotions.  Keep your journal in a private place or even in a secured online site.  This is important so you can be honest and open in your journal.  Let your thoughts free flow.

See a professional: If you feel you can not manage your anger, then seeing a professional therapist or psychiatrist can help you learn how to manage your anger.  A psychiatrist may prescribe medication that can help to stabilize mood thus control anger.    A therapist can help you identify triggers and solutions on how to appropriately express negative feelings. 

WikiHow Suggests The Following:

• If you're annoyed because someone is having a go at you, imagine their words just washing over you and when you notice they've finished talking either look at them blankly and say "so" or smile, say "you're absolutely right" and walk away.
• Watch what you say when you're angry. You don't always feel the same as when you have calmed down and thought of the situation.
• Try listening to soothing songs that bring peace to your mind.
• If you get angry easily and find it hard to control yourself, find a quiet place away from everybody. Scream into a blanket, pillow, or anything to stifle the noise. (If you want to, you can even just yell if nobody is around.) It'll help you let off some steam.
• Recognize that sometimes anger is justified, and may need to come out. However, realize that there are productive ways to do it instead of lashing out at others.
• Ask yourself if the future recipient of your furor deserves to be blown up at, or if you are just using them as a punching bag to release steam about another person/issue that bothers you.
• Find a creative outlet, such as writing, drawing etc. where you can expend your energy. Hobbies help elevate your mood and allow you to channel energy that you'd usually spent dwelling on issues that you aren't able to resolve. Imagine what you could do with the energy you expend in anger if you channeled it into something else.
• Think about the stress you put on yourself. Do you enjoy feeling that way? If not change it.
• Meditation is a useful way to release stress and/or anxiety, the precursors to anger.

- Kim B.


How to Control Anger. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2015, from http://www.wikihow.com/Control-Anger