Things That Can Help You Control Your Anger
Anger is a completely normal and generally a healthy human emotion. It is an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it stimulates powerful, often aggressive feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. But, chronic volatile anger has serious consequences for your relationships, health, and your state of mind.
Let us discuss in details different attributes of anger as well as things one can do to control his/her enraging feeling, which may have occurred either for some internal reasons like worrying or brooding about your personal problems or due to external reasons such as specific behavior of a co-worker, someone related to you, or some senior at work, or any event like a traffic jam, a canceled flight, etc.
Why you must work to control anger
The goal of anger management is to reduce both your emotional feelings and the physiological arousal that anger causes. One cannot get rid of, or avoid, the things, the stimuli, or the people that enrage you, nor can one change them, but one can learn to control one’s reactions. We all have the responsibility to control our anger.
Anger, being an emotional entity, has a strong physical aspect attributed to it. We all have physical reactions to anger, which may include:
- Increased heartbeat
- Rapid breathing
- Trembling
- Sweating
- Tension in your body, especially shoulders
- Clenched fists and jaw
9 simple steps that can help you control your anger
We all react differently when angry. Some people have a very low tolerance for frustration, inconvenience, or annoyance. These people get angry more easily and more intensely than the average person does. Others do not show their anger in loud unimpressive ways but are constantly irritable and sullen. Easily angered people do not always curse and throw things; sometimes they withdraw socially, sulk, or get physically ill.
It is best to ascertain the triggers to your anger and develop strategies to keep those triggers from tipping you over the edge. Some strategies or steps that may help you control your anger include:
1. Try deep breathing and relaxing imagery, it can help calm down angry feelings. Ensure that you get enough sound sleep. Writing, making music, dancing or painting can release tension and reduce feelings of anger.
2. Breathe slowly and count to 10 (gives you time to cool down and overcome the impulse to lash out). Try visualizing a relaxing experience, from either your memory or your imagination
3. Run, walk, cycle, do aerobics, swimming, yoga, and meditation. These are just a few activities that can reduce stress and help to get rid of irritation and anger. Always talk to your doctor about the outcomes and effects of particular exercises before starting any on your own.
4. Try to think logical - Logic defeats anger, because anger, even when it is justified, can quickly become irrational. So, use logic with yourself. Remind yourself that the world is “not out to get you" it's just you're experiencing some of the rough spots of daily life. Do this each time you feel anger getting the better of you, and it will definitely help you get a more balanced perspective.
5. Spend some quiet time alone - Take short breaks at work or home during stressful times. It might help you feel better and prepare to handle what’s ahead without getting irritated or angry.
6. Learn to forgive - it helps in releasing the urge to punish, which can never compensate for our losses and only adds to our injury by further depleting and draining our lives. It is a powerful tool to destroy negative and bitter feelings inside.
7. Avoid caffeine and excess alcohol - These can make you more anxious than normal as it can disrupt your sleep and also speed up your heartbeat. Too much alcohol consumption has been shown to make anxiety worse.
8. Bring back humor - Humor can help defuse rage and help you get a more balanced perspective. Do not try to just “laugh off” your problems instead use humor to help yourself face them more constructively.
9. Find alternatives - Choose a way out to situations that make you angry. If your daily commute through traffic leaves you in a state of rage and frustration, map out a different route, one that is less congested or more scenic. Or find another alternative, such as a bus or metro train.
Our anger and frustration are caused by very real and inevitable problems in our lives. Not all anger is misplaced, and often it is a natural response to these difficulties. The best attitude is to listen carefully and do not jump on the conclusion or focus on finding the solution, but rather on how you handle and face the problem. Resolve the situation to give it your best. The aim should not be to punish yourself if an answer does not come right away. If you can approach it with your best intentions and efforts and make a serious attempt to face it, you will be less likely to lose patience, even if the problem does not get solved right away. However, if you leave anger unattended it may cause hypertension, high blood pressure, or depression.
Practicing these above-mentioned quick steps will help you calm down. Still, if you intend to know more about how to control your rage, ask a Psychologist online to get your query resolved.
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