Everybody knows that it is perfectly normal to become angry once in a while. However when one finds it increasingly difficult to control their own temper, it can raise one’s risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks to even disorders like depression and anxiety.
These five tips by Isabel Clarke, an NHS psychologist who ran an anger management service for more than ten years will prove to be useful for managing your anger issues, according to the Daily Mail.
1) Maintain a diary
Most people often confuse anger with its potential consequences – like violence and threats – but in reality the essence of anger is something else. Although anger has the capacity to mobilise the body for action, it can manifest in different ways if one so chooses. A practical way to keep a check on your anger is by keeping a diary and recording what irritated you, your body’s response to the experience and how you dealt with it. This could help you figure out any patterns that can provide clues to overcome your anger.
2) Make note of what exactly ticks you off
Write down a list of the different types of situations that caused you to lose your temper. Most people who attend anger management classes often stress that their anger comes from nowhere in particular. But if one observes closely then they can find there are certain situations that are more likely to lead to an outburst compared to others. Apart from jotting down what makes you angry, also try to describe the effects after an episode. Lack of sleep, hunger, pain, and even alcohol can act as triggers that can affect your mood.
3) Don’t bottle it up
Blocking unpleasant emotions in one place only leads to them finding an outlet somewhere else. Swallowed up anger can accumulate as chronic stress. One of the ways by which you can relieve your mind and body from tension is by practising mindfulness exercises and meditation.
4) Keep track of your early warning signs
Physical responses before having a full-blown angry reaction are a speeding heart rate, rapid and shallow breathing, tensed muscles and blurred vision. Take note of these early-warning signs and try practising breathing exercises to calm yourself down.
5) Stop ‘wind-up’ thinking
‘Wind-up’ thoughts are the phrases that occur to you when you’re angry, like for example ‘I ought to be able to please everybody’ or ‘People should agree with my point of view.’ Substituting these thoughts with a different mode of thinking will enable you to deal with situations a lot more calmly. For instance, if you see someone driving badly, you might think: ‘People who drive like that ought not to be allowed on the road.’ You can replace this with a better alternative thought like: ‘At least I have the skills to avoid the worst.’
