The Complete Guide to Anger Management Techniques & How to Train Your Brain to Be More Peaceful

Every single person on this planet is bound to become angry at some point. It's in our nature to feel anger. We all have days when we get in a bad mood and anger takes hold of us. But how we react to our anger can make all the difference.

Most people will flare up with anger but return to being calm as the adrenalin rush to the situation or person subsides. Sometimes, however, people may struggle to keep the extreme moment of anxiety under control as the body's natural anxiety mechanism kicks in and hijacks a person's actions subconsciously.

When you learn how to control your anger better, you'll find that it has a drastic positive impact on every area of your life. That's why you should use these simple tricks and give yourself the ability to control your emotions better.

You're still reading this! Good, because now it's time to drop everything and start learning these anger management tricks. Whether you're in a relationship, trying to get promotions at work, or being stalked by an ex-lover (you know who you are), keeping your anger under control is the best way to function in life and influence other people and situations more effectively.

Don't judge anger at face value. Some anger is actually a good thing. Wait, what? That's right, there is no need to quit anger completely. It helps you to find strength and determination when you are faced with a challenge. What you do need to do however is control it. These simple strategies will make a big difference in your life and how you approach problems and stressful situations.

Anger can happen at any time. The important thing is to learn some techniques that will help you cope with the feeling and keep it from controlling your life.

Use deep breathing to calm your heart rate and manage your anger.

Deep breathing is an easy way to help yourself relax, which will help you stay calm and avoid conflict. Before entering any potentially volatile situations, take five minutes and sit somewhere that is quiet. Close your eyes, breathe in deeply through your nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds, release slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds until all air is gone, repeat four or five times, then open your eyes. This should relax you sufficiently so that you are able to handle any situation with patience and understanding instead of frustration.

Watch a short video explaining this useful and effective technique for reducing your anger.

Find a calm spot to focus on

This is a particularly good technique if you have trouble controlling the angry thoughts that pop into your mind at inconvenient times. If you're having trouble clearing your mind, try practicing visualization — imagine yourself in an ideal situation, such as walking along the beach on a sunny afternoon, or playing with your children on the grass in a park. Imagine that you're completely relaxed in this scene and how happy it would make you feel. Then let the image go and repeat until you've got rid of whatever was bothering you.

Write down your thoughts

Writing down your thoughts can help reduce angry emotions, according to research from the University of Michigan. The study found that writing in a diary for 15 minutes a day over three consecutive days helped participants manage their anger better than those who didn't write about their feelings.

In a survey of almost 200 people, those who wrote about their anger were more than twice as likely to say they'd reduced their angry feelings than those who didn't. Writing things down also gives you enough time to allow the pre-frontal cortex, the logical mind to come back 'online' so that you can rationalize better and find are a more effective solution to the issue at hand.

Give yourself time to cool down

This may sound obvious but the most effective approaches usually are. We all have times when we just need to "blow off steam" and express our annoyance or frustration, but if this becomes a pattern, then it is time to learn other ways of coping with these emotions by creating constructive space between us and the source of the anger by engaging with more helpful behaviours such as physical exercise, meditation, or yoga, reading a book, listening to music, or spending time with friends and family who care about you and want to see you happy and healthy.

Change the way you look at the situation

If you're in an argument with someone and things begin to get heated, you have the power to change that situation. You can take control of your anger and express it in a positive way. You can change the way you look at the situation so that you won't become angry. Try to find something positive about the situation. Change your point of view or your perspective on the situation by using one of these techniques:

Look at it from another person's perspective. Try thinking about what your partner or friend is feeling or why they acted in a certain way. It may not change your feelings toward them, but it may help you realize they are feeling something other than anger towards you. Think of how others might react to what happened. Instead of thinking about how the event affects only you, think about how it affects other people around you. For example, if someone cuts in line in front of you at the supermarket, think about how this might make other people feel who were waiting their turn. By putting yourself in their shoes, perhaps you will understand why they did what they did and not feel as angry anymore.

Learn to treat the cause. If you know what triggers your anger, give it special attention. For example, perhaps you get angry when your spouse criticizes you for not having dinner ready on time. If this is the case, then talk with your spouse before dinner about your expectations of what will happen at dinner time. Perhaps you have an unreasonable expectation that dinner needs to be ready at 6:30 p.m., but in reality, you don't start eating until 7:30 p.m. If you would like more time in the evening after work to relax with your family, then explain this to your spouse and discuss realistic expectations of what will happen at dinner time.

Takeaway:

Accept Anger – You cannot eliminate something until you first accept its presence. This is especially true when it comes to managing anger and preventing it from controlling your life. Once you acknowledge that anger is present, it's easier to work through it and move on.

Anger can be the most destructive force in our lives but with a little awareness training, you can definitely manage it and reduce its destructive aspects. Unmanaged anger destroys friendships, families, businesses, and bodies. It leads to hurt, hatred, and murder. The longer anger has been held in, the more dangerous it becomes. Tension can lead to stress and sickness in our bodies if it is not reduced through physical or mental release. Some people have found that meditation is helpful for releasing feelings of stress or tension. Others might find a hobby or a creative outlet for their feelings to be much more helpful. The best thing about anger management techniques is that they work with the way your mind and body already works, which means you can easily learn how to handle your anger instead of being controlled by it.

If you would like to learn more advanced and subconscious ways for managing your anger issues then find out more by clicking on the link.

About the author

David Faratian is the principal hypnotherapist at The Cumbria Hypnosis Mindfulness Clinic. He founded Cumbria Hypnosis in 2006 and since then it has consistently been one of the highest-rated and reputable hypnotherapy clinics across Cumbria, South Lakes, and The Northwest. David specializes in a full range of psychological issues and has a dedicated site devoted to each issue. Visit www.cumbria-hypnosis.com