We have all experienced rage and burst of anger at some point, everyone has had a terrible outburst of anger. Most often, you walk away, cry, shout or express the anger physically. However, psychologists have recommended certain things that can be done to ensure your anger does not take the best of you.
Find below some ways to channel your anger according to HuffPost:
Acknowledge your anger
There is no reason for you to hide how you feel, acknowledge you are angry. You experience it physically far more than you do cognitively, said Kurt Smith, a therapist in Roseville, California. You are literally hot and bothered. He says:
“Anger will often also cause changes in our body, such as muscle tension like a stiff, sore neck, rapid heartbeat or breathing that becomes rapid and shallow. Feeling fatigued or heated up for no obvious reason can be a sign of unrecognised anger.”
Once you notice you are angry, you can try responding to your loud voice by gradually lowering it. This is an effective strategy to emotionally talk yourself back down.
Follow your body cues
The advice constantly being given is that when you are angry, you should breathe in and out till you are sure your anger is subsided.
However, there are other muscles in the body that you use in reacting to anger. For example, your hands, forearms, and biceps want to clench, or if your abdomen grips and you want to yell, you can try — safely and slowly — letting the muscles do as they like but as if in slow motion or underwater according to Brittany Bouffard, a Denver psychotherapist.
The slowness is important because it allows the motion to integrate into the system, allowing it to feel [that] it completed what it needed.
Take time out
Walking away gives you time to calm down and collect your thoughts before responding. This also aids in managing anger.
A timeout allows time for you to reflect on the actual trigger that manifested the anger, which helps with identifying the trigger to prevent it from reoccurring.
Also, let whoever you’re talking to know that you just need a little physical space, so your actions won’t be misconstrued as passive-aggressive.
Identify the cause of anger
It is important to be able to point out what is making you angry. This will ensure the cause is tackled and not just left to linger. If the reason is not tackled, the anger will keep resurfacing.
It could something that has happened in the past, or a present occurrence. Once you’ve pinpointed what’s really motivating your anger, you’ll gain insight into your needs that haven’t been met.
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