Anger is a pretty normal and common emotion in all living beings. It is your mind’s healthy response to a threat in your environment. However, if you feel angry and jittery very frequently, it’s a sign that something is out of balance.
Anger Management is a sure way that will help you manage such anger outbursts. It will guide you to live a fulfilling and happy life.
After multiple analyses of published research, it was seen that approximately 75% of people who received anger management therapy saw improvements.
So, if you realize you need to manage your anger outbursts, start with some of these strategies.
1. Understand your triggers
Whenever you notice that you’re losing (or will lose) your temper, try and trace back to its possible causes. Some of the common triggers can be long lines, bad traffic, rude comments, or excessive fatigue.
It is wrong to blame others and environmental situations for your anger spills. But understanding what triggers you will give you a heads-up and help you regulate your reactions accordingly.
If the cause is related to a particular routine (e.g., traffic at specific times), planning your day differently is wise to help you manage the stressors better.
Or, you might do some anger management exercises before encountering such distressing situations. Doing these things can help you improve your patience. In other words, a single triggering episode won’t set you off.
2. Seek professional counseling
Remember. You don’t need to do everything by yourself. Sometimes, even you might have trouble understanding yourself.
In those times, seeking professional help, like anger management counseling, is preferable. Counseling will help you understand and acknowledge that anger stems from your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
It aims to draw your attention to your traits and triggers. Thus, helping you regain control and behave in ways that align with your values.
The goal here will be to establish helpful and constructive behavioral ways of managing anger and to better regulate your reactions.
If you want recommendations for your case, look up life supports counselling. They have a great reputation for finding ways to stop you from habitual anger outbursts.
3. Decide if your anger is good or bad
Anger management is not always about calming yourself down in the face of anger.
Take a minute and think if your anger is good or bad in that particular situation. If you witness something wrong directed towards you or someone else, your anger is fitting and needed.
This can sometimes be your cue to change your situation, not your emotional reaction. It can be a warning sign that you need to get out of an abusive relationship or a toxic friendship.
However, if your anger disrupts or distresses you and others, it’s bad. In such scenarios, you must control your emotions and regulate your reactions. Otherwise, it will make you feel out of control or regret your decisions.
4. Choose to rationalize
Frustrating thoughts will only fuel your anger, and constant bickering will, in turn, increase your frustration. Instead of entertaining this vicious cycle, reframe your thoughts.
The key here is to rationalize with yourself. Focus on the facts and figures rather than exaggerating the situation. This will help you regulate your mood and stay calmer.
You can also chant a mantra repeatedly to fight the potential anger-triggering thoughts. Say repeatedly, “I’m OK. I need to calm down,” to control your thoughts.
5. Acknowledge your emotions
Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you should take a moment and think about the emotions that might anger you.
You resort to anger as a coping mechanism to help you avoid other negative emotions like embarrassment, sadness, or disappointment. Thus, acknowledge your emotions to get to the root of the problem. Then, you can decide what to do in that situation.
Wrap It Up!
Your anger can become problematic if the frequency and intensity are unnaturally high. Furthermore, if you’re expressing it in unhealthy ways, it can negatively impact you physically, mentally, and socially.
So, give these anger management strategies a chance to strategize healthy ways to express your emotions!
