Anger Management 101: Tips On How To Control It

LifeStyleNovember 22, 2017

As human beings, we often deal with emotions. Emotions such as happiness and love make us feel like we are flying over the heavens. Such emotions give us goosebumps, making life seem complete. However, at times, we have negative emotions. At some points in life, one has to deal with negative emotions, one of which is anger.

Anger is an emotion that is quite explosive and unpredictable. It can appear at any place and time. Anger seems to test the patience and tolerance that people have for certain situations. Being angry is actually dangerous because it can control you if things got out of hand. One hardly reasons when angry. Also, anger worsens the situation instead of fixing it.

How can you keep your anger under control? Here are some tips on how to deal with anger to assess the situation and deal with it using a clear and logical mind.

“Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.”— Mahatma Gandhi

Just Breathe

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When you are angry, it is normal for your blood pressure to rise. This is because heavy emotions tend to restrict normal breathing. Once you are angry, you may feel a tightening of the chest and have shortened breathe. This may also trigger a massive headache. You no longer think properly about the situation, and you are bound to let your impulsive instinct take over you.

When such things happen, remember to take deep breathes. Deep breaths have a calming effect as they soothe your nerves and eventually relax your body and mind.

One way of taking deep breaths is through Yoga. It involves rolling your tongue, breathing in through your mouth and out through your nose. It will certainly cool you down. But if you can’t roll your tongue, try doing the same in-and-out breaths with your tongue pressed to the back of your teeth for instant relief.

Take a Break

If you feel angry towards your boss who’s been giving you tasks non-stop, or if you feel angry towards your co-worker who seems to dictate your project, it is time for you to take a break before you go berserk. You can go outside to take a break, get a drink as you read a book, or listen to some music. Do something to divert your attention from upsetting emotions and relax your mind. You need to take a break from seeing them for a while or else you might do and say something regrettable.

Get an Outlet For Your Anger

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It is important to get rid of your anger as soon as you can because it is dangerous to your health. By boiling up inside, you risk having complications such as heart failure. It is critical that you have an outlet for your anger. By outlet, we mean turn it into something positive and productive. We don’t recommend you to confront, argue, or, in a worst-case scenario, punch someone in the face.

What we mean by having an outlet is something docile and calm. For example, if you are a writer, you can use your anger to write a big scene of your characters. You can pour your raw emotion and convert a powerful story. If you’re an artist, you can create a masterpiece that depicts raw anger and dark emotion and connect it to the real world. Anger is a negative emotion, but you always have the power to transform it into something more meaningful and positive.

Visualize your way to calmness

You can get rid of your anger by diverting it to something that calms and give you happiness. When you are angry, we visualize a scene in your mind to calm yourself down. An example for this is to imagine being in a jacuzzi with a friend or aa loved one. Such a technique will give your mind something to focus on, and it is an active attempt to calm yourself down that works.