How to Manage Anger: A Quick Guide
Do you find yourself ready to explode at any given minute over a small comment or inconvenience? Have you had an outburst before that scared someone or even yourself because you couldn’t contain your frustration?
Learning how to manage anger can take time and practice. If you’ve had problems in the past to the point you’ve felt the need to learn how best to control yourself, it’s worth it to take the time and learn.
Take a Beat
A classic strategy for managing your anger is to count down from ten. Need more time? Choose a higher number like 20 or 30. The most important thing with anger management is learning what strategies work best for you and help you think before speaking or acting when you notice the anger building.
Taking deep and measured breaths can also slow your anger. Try breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, and taking a step back and away to privately cool off.
Move Around
Sometimes what works best is stepping away from the situation and going for a walk. You might get physically tense when angry, and finding ways like stretching or moving around to relax your muscles can help a lot.
Going to the gym or working out can also allow you to place that energy into something more productive. Anger can be a big physical buildup and going for a walk might not let you release enough of that, so try going for a run or lifting before reacting to the situation.
Focus Internally
When trying to manage your anger, a useful exercise is to recognize what triggers set you off. Are there warning signs before your anger comes out that you can notice ahead of time and use to step away before something happens?
Sometimes it’s harder to realize for ourselves what might set off anger and lead to the need for anger management. There are many resources online, including this site, that can help provide further guidance and assistance when trying to manage anger.
Positive Actions
When going to the gym isn’t your thing, you might find different strategies to turn that angry energy into something more positive. Sometimes doing something like writing a letter to an official or volunteering or writing in a journal help in the long term with anger management. The feeling that you are taking concrete action can help you feel less helpless and less likely to lash out at others.
How to Manage Anger
Learning how to manage anger isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution that works for everyone on the first try. You may need to try a variety and combination of strategies to learn what works best for you and your anger. The good news is that it is manageable and you can and will find tools to help get your anger under control if you’re patient and take the time to learn.
If the first thing you try doesn’t work, try it again or try something new. But don’t feel like it’s impossible or will never be solved. And if this helped you feel more prepared to tackle your anger the next time it rears up, keep reading for good tips.
