Anger is a natural human emotion that every single person experiences from time to time, but it’s something that must be controlled and this can take a lot of practice. In this article, you will learn some useful strategies to help keep your anger in check and feel like a calmer individual even in the most aggravating situations.
Think Before Speaking & Choose Your Words Carefully
Sure, it might feel satisfying to let all of your feelings and emotions out, but it’s temporary and can even cause more harm than it’s worth and you might even regret it later on.
If you’re feeling some tension building up inside, take a deep breath, or multiple if you need to, and try to think rationally about the situation.
You are allowed to express your discontent or frustration, but it’s not productive to place blame, use strong words, or attack the source of your anger. This can only make matters worse rather than diffusing a tense situation.
Step Away For A Bit
Sometimes it’s very difficult to escape scenarios that are causing us to feel angry, but if you have the opportunity to, you should always take it.
Changing the environment and giving yourself a “time out” can work wonders by allowing you to cool down.
This strategy is especially useful if someone else is being antagonistic towards you and trying to push your buttons. Let cooler heads prevail and walk away – you might be seething for a little while, but by forcing yourself to calm down and relax, you can prevent your anger from getting out of control.
Utilize Your Sense of Humor
They say laughter is the best medicine, and it could be one of the best treatments for dealing with anger. In fact, anger has been a huge motivator for many forms of comedy.
Humor can be a way to cope with difficult situations, regardless of it’s self-enhancing or self-deprecating, and if you can find a way to lighten up, you give yourself power over your own feelings and emotions.
This doesn’t mean that you should laugh at others or make fun of them, as this can only escalate things, but if you can laugh something off and carry on with your day without brooding about it.
Get Some Exercise
For a lot of people, exercise is a way for them to release pent-up anger and aggression. In fact, it can even mimic the same symptoms of the fight-or-flight response, such as a racing heart and quick and shallow breaths caused by the surge of adrenaline in the body.
Some people might feel angrier in the gym, but in reality, it can help them recognize these emotions as they are occurring and even become desensitized to them.
Importantly, different forms of physical activity, whether it be lifting weight, martial arts, biking, running, etc., can just make you feel calmer and relaxed afterwards and ward off anger in the first place.
Try Anger Management & Therapy
If you find yourself feeling more “hot-headed” and easily irritated throughout the day, rather than the random events that come here and there, you might be struggling with chronic anger issues.
There is no shame in reaching out to a professional to find better ways to manage your anger, especially if your anger is damaging your personal relationships with others, such as your friends, family members, and co-workers.
By learning how to cope with stress with a counselor or therapist at BetterHelp, and learning how to recognize your triggers, you can become a much calmer person when you notice your blood start to boil a bit.
Conclusion
Taking the steps to reduce your anger requires time, patience, and importantly, learning how to relax even in the most heated situations, and hopefully, you’ve learned a few new ways of doing that. Millions of people struggle with this issue, so you’re not alone, and with help, you’ll realize your emotions will pass quickly and you can become a calmer and more collected version of yourself.
