Follow These Ten Tips And Be An Anger Management Guru
Anger is a healthy emotion till it spirals out of control. It can be detrimental to both your health and relationships. It might even get in the way of a successful career. Once you figure out what exactly triggers your explosive anger, you can manage it by learning how to keep it under check.
Anger management takes a lot of efforts. Suppressing emotions is not the solution, expressing them in a healthy manner will certainly help you strengthen your relationships.
- Do you lose your temper very often at the slightest provocation?
- Do you find it tough to let go of your frustrations?
- Are you being physically hostile against people or objects?
- Is your anger ruining your life and estranging people who are close to you?
Here are a few tips to control your anger.
1. Get An Insight On What Triggers Your Explosive Anger
Analyse and identify the reasons and patterns of when and why you lose your temper. You may be using your anger as a cover up for your pent up feelings of guilt, insecurity, pain or shame. Anger can also be a symptom of a health problem. It could be genetic or physiological. Remind yourself that anger fixes nothing, on the other hand, it makes things worse. You cannot change people or situations but you certainly can control your reactions.
2. Recognise Warning Signs
Focus more on the way your body feels when you are infuriated by something. This would reduce the emotional intensity of your anger. Watch out for negative thinking patterns like having rigid views on how things should be, getting upset when things do not match up and having the intolerance for other people's perspectives as you want yourself to be in control all the time.
3. Take Time Out
Walking away from a situation that can spin your anger out of control helps you to collect your thoughts and relax. Once you calm down, you can express your concerns in an assertive, but never in a confrontational way.
4. Avoid Criticism
Criticism and blaming might only escalate the problem. Be specific while expressing your feelings. Try saying, "I am upset because you left home without informing me." instead of "You never told me that you were leaving."
5. Do Not Hold Personal Grudges
Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Do not allow your anger and negative feelings crowd over your positive feelings. Drowning yourself in bitterness and sense of injustice will only make you more frustrated. Try to forgive and see how you can free yourself from the negative feelings that weigh you down.
6. Exercise
Exercise helps in relieving stress and controlling your blood pressure. Take a brisk walk when you feel stressed out. Exercise also helps you to divert your mind from your anger to how your body feels with physical activity. It also releases endorphins which trigger a positive feeling in the body. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and smoking. Exercise regularly. Eat healthy. Get enough sleep.
7. Practice Relaxation Skills
Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing, yoga and meditation. Listening to music and writing journals help in relaxation.
8. Lighten Up Using Humour
Using humour will help you take yourself less seriously. Humour can diffuse your anger but try and avoid sarcasm. Using humour does not mean you should laugh off your problems but you can use it constructively.
9. Give Yourself a Break
Have a personal time scheduled, particularly during the most stressful time of the day. Avoid discussing important things when you are tired or stressed out.
10. Get Professional Help
You get frustrated and angry no matter how hard you try. You start avoiding social events and meeting people as you feel you cannot control your temper. Your anger has resulted in harming others physically. It's time to get professional help. You can seek help from therapists, counsellors, and also join classes and programs for anger management.
