Anger is not any other complex or rare emotion. We all feel it on daily basis, and it is very much familiar to our mind and body. Surprisingly, anger is considered a ‘healthy emotion’ in psychology. But sometimes, it gets out of control and turns toxic for our physical and mental health at work, or in personal relationships, and the overall quality of life as well. For some people, it is extremely hard to control their anger, and with time, it gets harder. Anger issues can affect one's psychological health and result in unpredictable behavior as well. Thus, it gets very significant to know how to control anger issues. To control anger issues, firstly it is important to know what anger is and how it works.
Charles Spielberger, Ph.D., a Psychologist who specializes in the study of anger, explains that ‘Anger is an emotional state varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage’. Like all other emotions, it is supported by psychological and biological alterations. When you get angry, the heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy hormones, adrenaline. It can be caused by both external and internal events. A person can be angry at a specific person, event, or anger that could result in concern about personal problems. Moreover, sudden memories of traumatic and outraging events can trigger angry feelings. There are some incredibly simple and effective anger management techniques in psychology, and 5 of them are given below.
Following Anger Management Techniques may help you:
1. Use multiple relaxation techniques.
Relaxation is the most used anger management technique, and it is one of the best ways to keep yourself calm during any hateful situations. There are multiple psychological methods such as deep breathing and relaxing imagery to calm down angry feelings. At the time of anger, breathe deeply, from your diaphragm, breathing from your chest won't relax you. Imagine your breath coming from your ‘guts’. Repeat a calm word or phrase and repeat it to yourself while breathing deeply. Visualize a relaxing experience, from your memory or imagination. These slow psychological techniques for anger management can relax your brain muscles and make you feel calmer. And by practicing these anger management techniques daily, it will automatically come to your mind in any tense situation.
2. Use Cognitive Restructuring.
In simple words, cognitive restructuring means changing the way you think. An angry person's attitude can get unreasonable and excessively dramatic. Replacing angry thoughts with steady thought is incredibly significant for anger management. Remind yourself that getting angry is not the solution, and it won't make you feel better. As a part of cognitive restructuring, angry people need to become aware of their demanding nature and interpret their intentions into needs. Logic always defeats anger, because anger can quickly become unreasonable. So, using cold hard logic is an important psychological technique against anger. Remind yourself that the world is ‘not here to irritate you’, and you are just experiencing some of the rough spots of daily life. Do this every time you feel angry, and it will help you get a more balanced perspective in life.
3. Communicate better in a heated discussion.
Angry people directly jump to conclusions, and some of these conclusions can be very inaccurate. The first thing you can attain in a heated discussion is to slow down and think through your responses. Don't say the first thing that comes to mind, but slow down and think about what you exactly want to say. And at the same time, listen carefully to what the other person is saying and take your time before replying. It is relatively natural to get defensive when you are criticized, but do not directly fight back. Instead, understand what underlying your anger. It may take a lot of tolerance questioning on your part, and it may require some breathing space, but don't let your anger grant a discussion spin out of topic. Keeping your mind calm can keep the situation away from becoming a tragic one.
4. Using Humor can also help to resist furious situations.
Simple and silly humor can help defuse rage in multiple ways. When you get angry and call someone by a name or refer to them in some imaginative phrase, stop and imagine that word into some funny and weird look. This will divert your irritated mind towards a foolish side of your mind. This will diminish a lot of your irritation, and humor can always be relied on to help crack a tense situation. Dr. Spielberger suggests, picture yourself as a humor God or Goddess, a supreme ruler. The more detail you can get into your imaginations, the more chances you have to realize that perhaps you are being unreasonable. By this, you will also realize how unimportant the things you are angry about really are. Just don't laugh off your issues, rather, use humor to help yourself face them more constructively. Similarly, don't go harsh with sarcastic humor because that's just another form of unhealthy anger expression.
5. Change your environment and give yourself a break.
Sometimes, it's your abrupt environment that works as the cause of irritation and rage. Difficulties and responsibilities can weigh on you and make you feel angry at the ‘trap’ you seem to have jumped into and all the people and things that form that trap. Therefore, giving yourself a break and getting out of this trap is extremely important. Make sure you have some personal time scheduled for times of the day that you know are particularly stressful. Try changing the times when you talk about important matters, so these talks don't turn into arguments. Anger management in psychology suggests that always give time to yourself before making any decisions whenever you are angry or frustrated.
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Reference:
- www.mayoclinic.org
- www.apa.org
- www.psychologytoday.com