Overview
Anger is one of the deepest emotions that we humans share with most of the other organisms. The purpose of anger has had its deep roots since primitive times. It is a necessary emotion that acts as a defensive mechanism.
In your everyday life, anger plays a major role in defining yourself both to the outsiders and you. But unwarranted anger often affects you physically and psychologically. It also affects your surrounding environment.
As a famous saying prompts, anger is often more hurtful than the incident that caused it. Although it is a fundamental human emotion, uncontrollable anger often makes you do things for which you may feel sorry later.
How to control anger outbursts?
Anger is a fundamental human emotion. It ranges from mild to severe outbursts. Anger is not always a negative emotion. But we often tend to explode even when the situation doesn’t demand it.
The old saying says, ‘he is a fool who can’t be angry, but he is a wise man who will not be.’ Likewise, managing one’s anger is an art. With the right practices, you can be the master of your anger.
So how to control anger outbursts? Here are the techniques that you can incorporate into your daily lives.
- Identify your trigger points
Controlling your anger is like taming a wild animal. First, you should understand how your anger works. You need to find out what events trigger your mood and make you angry.
For example, traffic jams, inadequate sleep, tiredness or hunger can be the trigger points. By learning the root cause of your anger, you can practice controlling it when similar situations arise.
- Assess your anger
Before you either burst off or forcibly calm yourself, ask yourself whether the anger that you experience at the moment is rightful or not. Simple as it sounds, but difficult to practice. However, by continuously questioning yourself, it will eventually become your habit.
If you feel that your anger may cause distress or hurt your relationships, then you can categorise that as bad anger, and you can employ techniques for controlling it.
If you’re wondering how to control anger in a relationship, assess your anger before reacting to it.
- Focus on your warning signs
If you are a short-tempered person, you need to be aware of certain warning signs while you transition from a calm state to an enraged one. The warning signs may include sudden thumping of the heart, experiencing a hot sensation in the face and clenching your fists.
If you pay close attention to it, you can be cautious that your anger is on the rise and you can control it before it reaches the boiling point.
- Engage in physical activities
Physical activity is a one-stop solution to many stress-related problems. When you feel infuriated, go for a walk or jog. Even hitting the gym when you are angry helps in two ways—one, it deviates you from the enraged mood, and two, it redirects your anger towards intense workouts.
Regular physical activity can also be a preventive mechanism for your anger. It reduces your stress and clears your mind.
- Take long breaths
Most of us wonder how to control anger immediately. Well, the answer lies in your breath. If you feel a sudden surge and are about to outburst, your breath will become shorter and more intense.
The trick to control anger is to just do the opposite of this pattern. Take a second, and take long breaths when you feel angry. You will suddenly notice that your level of anger is either put on pause or decreased.
Easy tips to control your anger
If you wonder how to control your anger immediately, or how to control the anger in a relationship, there are plenty of simple ways that you can employ regularly. Some of them are as follows,
- Music is the key
If you feel infuriated because of reasons such as getting stuck in traffic or someone irritating you at your workplace, switch on the music based on your current mood at that time. Music can help you both in calming you down and releasing your anger.
- Count down
If you are about to explode, just start counting down numbers in reverse. This will slow down your heartbeat and bring down your anger.
This will also hold you from uttering some regrettable words during your infuriated state.
- Chant a mantra
The human mind works in obscure ways. It also behaves like a child. You can instruct your mind on what to do and what not to do.
If you feel furious, try chanting phrases like ‘everything will be okay’, ‘just relax’, ‘calm down’. This will reassure your mind that things will be okay and your anger will get suppressed.
- Laugh
It may sound absurd to hear this but look for ways that make you laugh by forgetting your anger. Play with kids, watch funny shows or scroll through some memes that make you laugh.
- Express your anger
Instead of bursting out, you can maturely express your anger. Anger management is not merely suppressing your anger but also expressing it.
You can calmly explain why you are angry and what makes you furious. This will help you in handling the situation smoothly and releasing your anger.
- Write down your feelings
Sometimes, you can easily pinpoint the event that triggers your anger. But other times, it may be hard to find the root cause that makes you angry.
So, writing down what you feel and how you feel will help you identify the pattern that triggers anger. We know that you cannot walk around with a notepad and pen just to make note of your feelings when you get angry.
However, you can do this at the end of the day before going to sleep. This will let you see how you react to your anger and why do you have to be angry in the first place.
Some other anger management techniques include:
- Do some stretches
- Write down your feelings and analyse your mood
- Rehearse on how to react during anger
- Talk to your close ones
- Be humorous
Way forward
Anger increases your heart rate and blood pressure. It induces the flooding of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Uncontrolled anger often leads to various health problems including headache, depression, digestion issues, a surge in blood pressure, etc.
It may also lead to some serious health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. Hence, you need to control unwarranted anger.
Anger management is an art that comes with practice. Experts say, practicing a routine regularly for around three weeks will become your habit.
To manage your anger efficiently, you first need to know how it works on you. Once you know it and practice the techniques, you will be the master of your anger.
One should think of meeting a psychologist or doctor in case anger is unmanagable despite of all those attempts.
