Sometimes, we find ourselves with a short fuse, unable to keep calm in stressful or anger-inducing situations. Our anger can get the better of us, as we lose our temper and struggle to think clearly. If it goes unchecked, then we can alienate ourselves accidentally. We can lose friends, family and even our partner.

How can you treat anger, though? You need to learn how to manage it, so you can live a more peaceful, relaxed life. You cannot let anger define or dictate your future. This is how to manage your anger.

Recognize Your Triggers

Before you try to control your anger, you need to understand what causes your irrational thoughts. Therefore, be mindful of your surroundings and try to recognize anything that causes your heart to beat faster. Make a note of anything, or anyone, which causes tension. Once you have a better understanding of your triggers, you can try to avoid or manage them accordingly.

For Short-Term Anger

Control Your Breathing

When you start to feel angry, you tend to breathe in more quickly. To calm down, however, you need to reduce your intake of breath and, instead, breathe out for longer. Doing so can help you think more clearly, and it reduces the chance of lashing out impulsively. Make sure your thoughts and feelings stay as clear as possible, so you don’t put yourself or others at risk.

Count to Ten

You may also wish to count to ten while controlling your breathing. By counting to ten, you are concentrating on something other than the anger you’re feeling. Take yourself away from the cause of your anger mentally by closing your eyes, counting to ten, and breathing out calmly.

For Long-Term Anger

Exercise Regularly

Exercise is a great way to relieve stress, irritation and anger. Therefore, engage in regular exercise so you’re able to burn off any tension regularly. While running can be great, other exercise such as swimming or even walking can also work wonders. Find what exercise best suits you, and make sure you stick to a schedule.

Meditate

Improve your spirituality and mindfulness by engaging in meditation. Not only can meditation reduce the inflammation response to stress, but it can also reduce anger and, in turn, help with sleep, depression, anxiety and ‘cloudy-thoughts.’

Reduce Alcohol Intake

Alcohol changes the mood and actions of almost everyone; therefore, if you’re someone who is particularly affected by alcohol but consumes a lot of it, consider reducing or stopping altogether. Alcohol reduces our inhibitions, which may occasionally sound great, but we need our inhibitions to stop us from acting unacceptably when under the influence.

Therapy

Even the best of us need therapy, whether it’s to help with a drinking problem, manage our relationships or tackle a mental health disorder. If your anger is getting the best of you, and you and your loved ones are afraid for you, then talk to a professional. Other measures include hypnosis (browse the full hypnosis downloads library here) and taking an anger management course.

Anger or Aggression

Sometimes, when people believe that they’re ‘angry,’ they’re actual fearful and anxious, which has manifested into aggression. They’re preparing to fight the threat, and so their anger is misconstrued. Next time you’re feeling angry, dissect your feelings. Are you anxious, instead? Recognizing your aggression and anxiety could change your outlook.

Shift Frequency © 2017 – Keep Calm – How to Manage Anger