How To Manage Your Anger
Ever felt that horrible heat as your anger levels rise and you literally feel like your blood is nearing boiling?
We’ve all been there at some point.
Here’s six great tips for keeping your cool, in an article I contributed to for The Debrief.
•‘Buy time and count to 10,’ suggests nutritionist and health therapist Pollyanna Hale. ‘Take three long, deep breaths that go right into your belly. This slows your breathing and heart rate, which speed up when you’re wound up.’
•Take ownership of the situation and your feelings and tell people (with the best communication skills you can muster) that you are feeling angry and why. Mental Health suggests using the word ‘I’ to make it about you not them, and saying ‘I could’ and ‘I might’ instead of ‘I must’ or ‘I should’.
•Exercise! Both exercise and meditation release feel good endorphins that help us relax and better control / disperse of anger. ‘Intense exercise like boxing can be a great outlet for frustration, or alternatively gentle yoga or pilates are more balancing and calming,’ suggests Pollyanna.
•Many suggest eating a balanced diet as some foods have been found to affect mood in different ways.
•However tempted you are to turn to alcohol or drugs – don’t. Pollyanna suggests drinking calming drinks like chamomile or lemon balm tea. Maybe burn some calming essential oils while you’re at it, too. Pollyanna suggests Lavender and Neroli.
•Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep (I probably don’t really need to tell you this) can make you irritable and less able to contain your anger.