For example, you might start with your toes and slowly work your way up to your head and neck. With this technique, you slowly tense then relax each muscle group one at a time. Visualize a relaxing experience from your memory or your imagination. Practice taking controlled, slow breaths that you picture coming up from your belly rather than your chest. If you practice one or more of these strategies often, it will be easier to apply them when angry feelings strike. Simple relaxation strategies, such as deep breathing and relaxing imagery, can help soothe angry feelings. And if things don’t go your way, try not to let your disappointment turn into anger. Try to change your demands into requests. Angry people tend to demand things, whether it's fairness, appreciation, agreement or willingness to do things their way. Do this each time you start feeling angry, and you'll get a more balanced perspective. Remind yourself that the world is not out to get you. Even when it's justified, anger can quickly become irrational. Such statements also alienate people who might otherwise be willing to work with you on a solution. Statements like "This never works" or "You're always forgetting things" make you feel your anger is justified. Avoid words like "never" or "always" when talking about yourself or others.Try these strategies to reframe your thinking: Instead of thinking “Everything is ruined,” for example, tell yourself “This is frustrating, but it’s not the end of the world.” Through a technique known as cognitive restructuring, you can replace unhelpful negative thoughts with more reasonable ones. When you’re angry, it’s easy to feel like things are worse than they really are. One way to do that is to focus instead on things you appreciate about the person or the situation that made you angry.Ĭhange the way you think. Instead, try to let go of the past incident. That’s an unproductive strategy, especially if you have already resolved the issue that angered you in the first place. Some people have a tendency to keep rehashing the incident that made them mad. When you recognize the signs, step away from the situation or try relaxation techniques to prevent your irritation from escalating.ĭon’t dwell. Try to identify warning signs that you’re starting to get annoyed. Rather than trying to talk yourself down from a cliff, avoid climbing it in the first place. It’s hard to make smart choices when you’re in the grips of a powerful negative emotion. Here are some techniques to help you stay calm.Ĭheck yourself. Wherever the feelings come from, you don’t have to let your anger get the better of you. You might feel mad at a person, an entity like the company you work for, or an event like a traffic jam or a political election. Strategies to keep anger at bayĪnger can be caused by internal and external events. ![]() ![]() And on top of all that, anger can significantly damage relationships with family, friends and colleagues. ![]() Anger can also lead to stress-related problems including insomnia, digestive problems and headaches.Īnger can also contribute to violent and risky behaviors, including drug and alcohol use. Research shows that anger and hostility can increase people's chances of developing coronary heart disease, and lead to worse outcomes in people who already have heart disease. Whatever shape it takes, uncontrolled anger can negatively affect physical health and emotional wellbeing. Others get angry less often, but when they do it comes out as explosive bouts of rage. Some people feel angry much of the time, or can’t stop dwelling on an event that made them mad. Understanding angerĪnger can take different forms. But uncontrolled anger can be problematic for your personal relationships and for your health.įortunately, there are tools you can learn to help you keep your anger in check. Unfortunately, it’s often an unhelpful one.Īnger is a natural human experience, and sometimes there are valid reasons to get mad like feeling hurt by something someone said or did or experiencing frustration over a situation at work or home. Wrath, fury, rage - whatever you call it, anger is a powerful emotion.
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