There are many situations within our days which may cause us to get anger. Anger is a healthy emotion but the issue arises when the emotion causes negative outcomes.
16 Techniques for Anger Management
Identify the source- anger can start in one area and infiltrate the rest of the areas of your life. If you experience anger frequently, you may have lost sight of what exactly makes you feel irate. Also consider keeping a journal for a week, recording when you feel upset and the reason for it so that you can identify triggers.
Channel your anger- don’t supress or hide from your feelings, doing so can actually hurt your health. Instead, take the emotion you are feeling and let them guide you towards making things better for yourself- possibly even for others.
Think before you react- when upset, try to change the tome of your voice when you speak to someone who is making you angry. Take a deep breath, breath slowly, and choose your words carefully. Taking time to think before you react will give you time to make better decisions before lashing out in anger.
Use relaxation techniques- using different relaxation techniques can be excellent way to calm angry feelings. Practice relaxation strategies regularly can help these techniques become automatic responses to situation that cause you to feel anger.
Change you thinking- when people get angry, they tend to exaggerate their words as their feelings also become exaggerated. Changing the way you think, called cognitive restructuring, means replacing negative words and thoughts with positive ones. Changing your thoughts, words and actions to ones that are rational instead of irrational is an anger management technique that takes time to learn.
Self-talk yourself out of anger- self talk can be powerful strategy for defusing anger. By talking yourself down from emotions of anger, you can reduce or stop outbursts.
Engage in problem solving- when a problem is causing anger to build in your life and it seems that there is not a feasible solution, refocus your attention from the problems solution to how to face the problem. Make a step by step plan that works toward solving the problem. Realise that the problem may take a while to solve and keep track of your progress.
Avoid becoming overwhelmed- if you find yourself stressed out all the time, it’s going to be hard to control how you react to smaller problems in your life. Decrease stress by not letting yourself get overwhelmed. Solve issues as they come, do not overbook your home or work schedule, and learn to let go of disagreements, guilt and worry.
Use effective communication- you shouldn’t repress your feeling, but you must express them in an appropriate manner. Slow down and think about what you are saying and what is being said to you before jumping to conclusions and lashing out. Choose your words carefully and really take the time to listen to the other person.
Remove yourself from the situation- there are times when walking away from anger inducing situations can be the best course of action. If you know someone or something is going to make you upset, avoid the situation. This may not always be possible, but do your best to limit your exposure to circumstances that you know are just going to make you angry.
Take a time out- time outs are not just for children. Giving yourself time to calm down and gain control of your emotions is an excellent way to prevent doing or saying something you will regret later. Sometimes going into a different room will be enough of a change to calm you down. If that’s not enough, try to walk to relieve the flare up of emotions when anger builds. Stay away for a long as it takes you to be able to face the situation calmly, which could ne minutes of hours. You can also schedule time outs for stressful periods of your day as a preventative measure. Take a few minutes to clear your head, think positive thoughts, and prepare yourself for the rest of the day.
Engage is physical activity- sports like basketball, tennis and football can help you release a lot of tension and reduce your stress levels, as can running, kickboxing, and other forms of physical activity. Taking out your aggression through exercise can help you convert some of the feelings you have into positive actions.
Keep a journal- keep a diary or journal of your feelings of anger and your response to them. Often writing down your feelings will help you release them, gain clarity on the causes, and cope with associated stress.
Eat and sleep well- there may be a relationship between nutritional deficiencies and anger, as well as between exhaustion or sleep deprivation and anger. When you don’t eat and/or sleep well, your body doesn’t have a chance to relax and replenish itself. This means that you are already on edge, so when any stress comes you ways it’s too much for you to handle and you snap.
Ask a family member of friend to help- seeking support from other people can be an effective approach to managing anger. You might not be able to manage your hostility on your own. Ask a close friend or family member to help you change your behaviour by calling you on it the next time you are in an anger provoking situation. Your loved one can help talk you down and help you figure out the best way to handle the issue.
Seek medical attention- some anger management problems are medically based. For example, if your anger management problems are associated with anxiety, you may find that anti-anxiety medication can help you feel calmer and better able to handle issues in your life. Seek assistance from a medical professional for diagnosis and care.