Healthy Ways to Deal with Anger

[seandacari]

I recently have been working on my anger. It sometimes takes the slightest thing to set me off and get me hot around the collar to the point that I'm punch the steering wheel or just supressing the anger(not good at all).

Here's some thigns I found on dealing with anger...just in case anyone else was in the same boat and wanted a few tips to get the ball rolling.​

Count to ten before you act
Anger leads us to take action very fast. But that can mean we don’t give ourselves the chance to choose a more constructive way to deal with our anger. Give rational thinking time to kick in.



Drop your shoulders and take a few deep breaths
And relax… your instincts may be telling your body to get ready to fight, but you can reverse this message by telling your body to chill out.



Pummel a pillow or have a scream in your room
Anger gets us ready for action and floods us with energy. Release your tension in a safe way, without hurting yourself or anyone else.



Channel your energy into exercise
Work off your anger through exercise and boost the release of feel good brain chemicals which help us relax.


Distract yourself
Take yourself out of the situation that made you angry - read a magazine, do a crossword, listen to soothing music or go for a walk.



Get creative
Pour out how you feel in writing or redirect your energy into another activity. It can help you get things in proportion and work out how you want to respond.



What you can do longer term


Practise relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation
Relaxation techniques challenge the physical aspects of anger, such as the brain chemicals that prepare you to fight, before these chemicals lead you to act impulsively.



Keep talking, keep listening
Talking about your feelings is good for your mental health and offloading to a friend can help you get perspective. Listen to other people’s point of view too. Assuming you know where they stand can take things from bad to worse.



Learn how to be assertive, not aggressive
Being assertive is a healthier way to express anger than aggression. People are more likely to take you seriously if you get your message across without sounding threatening or using aggressive body language.



Know yourself
It can be helpful to work out what makes you angry, how it makes you behave and what calms you down. Would changes in your daily life help you deal with anger better?

 

[Audio Tech]

Good post.

What always works for me is getting in my wetsuit and playing in the ocean for a few hours. No more anger. In fact, they could make me dig a tunnel through shit at work, and it wouldn't phase me at all. I just looked forward to hitting the waves again that evening.

 

[cityboy-stl]

Learn how to be assertive, not aggressive
Being assertive is a healthier way to express anger than aggression. People are more likely to take you seriously if you get your message across without sounding threatening or using aggressive body language.

How do you do this? Where is the lesson plan to "learn how"?

 

[Nomenclature]

Fap or have sex.

 

[yellowminicooper]

Exercise.

Does wonders.

Very true, that's what my doctor ordered. Ride a bike for 30 mins a day after you eat lunch.

Give up caffeine

I feel like a different person lately.

Good ideas that have been posted. I'll print them out for later

 

[The_Reaper]

Violent video games usually do wonders for me...

Nothing vents anger like playing Fallout 3, going into VATS mode, and watching someone's head fly off their body and go twirling into the sky with a fountain of blood behind it due to a well placed sniper shot...

That sounded slightly more psychotic than I meant it to...

 

[Nomenclature]

And for what it's worth, I think music has been the only thing that's kept me sane during the most stressful times of my life.

Try learning a musical instrument, or perhaps listening to music that fits your mood.