Anger can take on various forms whether it is feeling annoyed or experiencing full-on rage. We have all experienced anger at some point and if identified and managed appropriately, anger can actually be a healthy emotion. Here are some tips to ensure your anger does not impact your day-to-day activities and relationships:
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Physical symptoms of anger can include an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and energy. By using techniques like deep breathing and guided imagery, anger can be reduced especially in the heat of the moment. For example, many people tend to experience road rage, learning to recognize when anger is building as you drive, techniques such as listening to meditation while driving can be utilized to reduce the impact this emotion has. There are many great, free resources across the Internet that provide access to techniques for deep breathing, meditation and mindfulness strategies.
Utilize Cognitive Restructuring
When angry, it’s common to respond to a trigger with exaggerated languages such as cursing or over-generalizing. First, it’s important to note that responding to anger in this way won’t fix the problem. For example, if someone is having the worst day they may think, “Nothing ever goes my way, nothing ever works out, I should go home and go back to bed,”. Instead of exaggerated thoughts like this, if they were more rational thoughts that would also reduce the continued anger buildup. Instead, saying something like, “This has been a frustrating morning and it’s okay that I’m feeling angry about it, however, I have the rest of the day ahead for things to turn around”. This is a difficult task and takes a lot of practice, however changing angry thoughts to more rational thoughts can significantly decrease feelings of anger.
Practice Communication Strategies
Often when angry, trying to get a point across may not come outright. We may jump to conclusions, raise our tone of voice, or defend ourselves instead of listening to others. Slowing down an argument, learning to stop oneself from responding immediately and considering the situation first, can all decrease an anger response from occurring. By slowing down, feelings and ideas can be more clearly expressed. Another activity that takes a lot of practice, however by trying this, anger may reduce and subside leading to more productive conversations.