Do you fume when someone cuts you off in traffic? Does your blood pressure rocket when your wifi is slow?
Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you’re at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion.
ALSO READ: Your Weekly Astro Prediction
Ready to get your anger under control? Start by considering these 5 anger management tips-
Take three deep breaths
When you get angry you tend to breath faster. Breathing deeply helps you learn how to calm down by lowering your internal anger meter.
Count to 10
Counting to 10 gives you time to cool down, so you can think more clearly and overcome the impulse to lash out.
Stick with ‘I’ statements
To avoid criticizing or placing blame — which might only increase tension — use ‘I’ statements to describe the problem. Be respectful and specific. For example, say, ‘I’m upset because…” instead of “You never….”
ALSO READ: Alone time helps improve quality of life, here are some tips
Vent, don’t stew
If you are angry with a politician, policy, or other public injustice, do something about it. In one study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin tracked the brain-wave patterns in students who had just been told the university was considering big tuition increases. They all exhibited brain patterns signifying anger, but signing a petition to block the tuition increases seemed to provide satisfaction. Put simply, working to right a wrong is life-affirming and positive. Stewing in a bad situation without taking action is the opposite.
Embrace empathy
True empathy means getting into another person’s head and heart to both understand and feel that individual’s experience. You can do this in numerous ways: visualizing the situation through the other person’s eyes; writing a story from the other person’s perspective of the situation; telling the story to a friend taking the other person’s perspective.
Do not shy away from taking professional help.