How to Deal with Anger
If you are dealing with difficult coworkers, trauma, anxiety, or family issues, you may find that you have little patience with other people and get angry over minor things. Anger and frustration are complicated emotional responses and often stem from other feelings like fear, resentment, disappointment, and stress.
When your anger overwhelms you, it can be frightening. But there are ways that you can manage your anger and prevent your feelings from spiraling out of control. Keep reading to learn how.
Where Does Anger Come From?
Feelings of anger often arise due to how people interpret and react to different situations. Everyone has triggers for what makes them angry or frustrated, but some common ones include:
Feeling threatened or attacked
Feelings of frustration or powerlessness
Invalidation or unfair treatment
Feeling that people are not respecting their feelings
Having boundaries crossed
When we are angry, our bodies release the stress hormone cortisol which can trigger mood swings, interfere with mental clarity, and reinforce feelings of trauma, anxiety, and depression.
A scenario that angers one person intensely may not anger another person at all. But, just because different people see things in various ways doesn't necessarily indicate that their emotions or fury are unjustified or incorrect.
How people react to situations can depend on many factors like:
Their childhood or how they were raised
Past experiences or trauma
Current circumstances
Whether anger is about something that happened in the past or something that is going on right now, learning to cope with our emotions better can help us find productive strategies to handle our anger and frustrations.
Is Your Anger Justified? > Justified Anger
Tips for Coping with Anger
Follow these tips to learn to control your anger.
#1. Pause Before Reacting
Take a deep breath and mentally count to ten if you feel yourself becoming agitated. You can create a small amount of emotional distance between yourself and whatever is distressing you by allowing yourself some time before reacting. You might see that your response was motivated by something else than the current situation.
#2. Switch Up Your Surroundings
You can feel confined or trapped by your anger. Whether you're upset with your partner or simply irritated with the way things are, sometimes all it takes to help you relax is a change of scenery.
To help you stop thinking angry thoughts, if you can, move to another room or walk outside for a while. Better yet, go for a stroll to unwind!
#3. Let it Out
Never try to suppress your emotions; instead, give yourself permission to be furious and complain if necessary. Every step of the venting process is involved. Just don't focus on it for too long.
Venting is a healthy way to let your anger out, whether you do it in a journal or with a trusted friend.
#4. Release Energy
High emotions are the source of anger, and we store that tension and energy in our bodies, which has a variety of effects on us.
Exercise is a great way to get rid of tension and
excess energy while improving your mood.
While some people find great success in grounding exercises like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing, others choose the high-impact aspect of sports like weightlifting or jogging.
Blast your favorite music and get moving!
#5. Eliminate Stressors
This can be challenging since there are instances when a significant issue that is producing tension and anger cannot be resolved entirely.
You may feel anxious due to issues like an unhealthy relationship or an overwhelming workload. Consider how and why you are stressed out and whether you can make any little adjustments to make things better.
The healthiest thing for your mental health can sometimes be ending a relationship or finding a new job. Trust yourself, you know what is right for you.
#6. Set Realistic Expectations
People or circumstances that have not lived up to your standards or expectations are frequently the source of negative emotions and resentment. Reality check—that is a YOU problem.
Set realistic expectations so you aren’t
setting yourself up for disappointment.
It is frustrating to feel let down, but you have to realize that you cannot fully predict someone else’s behavior or how situations will play out.
#7. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
It's time to receive some further support if you are having trouble managing your anger and the anxiety that frequently goes along with it. If anger is not dealt with, it can linger and cause big problems.
I can work with you to develop techniques to reframe your thinking and your behavior with the Emotional Polarity Technique ™. Together, we will find the triggers for your anger and break through these barriers so you can move forward and express yourself in a healthier more productive way.
Let Go of Anger
Don’t let anger control your actions anymore. When you need help overcoming feelings of anger, frustration, and anxiety, turn to Open Heart Holistic Therapy where you will experience profound relief from the trauma and emotions that are bogging you down with the Emotional Polarity Technique ™.
Put anger in your rearview. Call me, Paige Cargioli, or schedule an EPT ™ consultation online today!