I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have days where I just want to scream. Nothing seems to go the way I planned and then one thing will completely set me off. I imagine that most of us experience times like this every once in a while and, you know what? They are a part of life, so it’s OK that they happen.
However, it’s how you choose to control your anger that makes the difference between a positive and negative outcome. Here are some tips that I’ve picked up over the years to help better manage anger.
1. Don’t deny your frustration. Repressing your anger will only cause it to build and when you put that much pressure on frustration, at some point, you’ll have to explode. Acknowledge the way you feel and tell yourself it’s alright to feel that way.
2. Take deep breaths. Sometimes just relaxing and taking a few cleansing breathes is enough to clear your mind sufficiently to either let go of your anger or address it in a healthy way.
3. Let go of grudges. Holding a grudge against someone is a sure fire way to hold onto anger and resentment. When you let go of a grudge, it’s much easier to control your temper.
4. Think before you speak. When we get angry, we tend to say things that we’ll regret later on. When you feel yourself losing your temper, be very mindful of what you’re about to say.
5. Have a laugh. From time to time, having a good laugh is all it takes to dissolve the frustration that’s building.
6. Take it to the gym. Anger creates a lot of physical tension in your body and sometimes all it takes is a physical activity to release it. Go for a run or take an aerobics class. Sweat out that frustration!
7. Come up with solutions. Rather than dwelling on the problem and how angry it’s making you, stop and try to come up with solutions to the problem.
8. Take a “time out.” This is similar to breathing deeply. When you can feel something making you mad, stop. Calm down and come back to it once you’ve cleared your head.
9. Remove yourself from the situation. If it’s a situation that’s angering you, step away from it. In fact, if it’s something you need not be involved in, remove it from your life completely. If you have to come back to it, then be sure to do so only after you’ve stopped fuming.
10. Get help. If you just can’t seem to control your temper, no matter what you do, you may want to seek some help. There are support groups for people who have trouble with anger management or you can seek the help of a counselor. Be proactive and get help learning to control your anger.
