Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Easy Ways You Can Control Anger

According to health experts, anger is defined as "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage." Anger can be brought on by either external or internal factors. Anger can come about as the result of a fight, a traffic jam, a run in with the boss and even a past memory of a hurt suffered can cause anger. Recognizing when you are angry and finding ways to control the emotion are very important. Anger can be constructive to a point but can very easily lead to destructive behavior. Let's take a closer look at how to control anger.

Developing better problem solving skills is one way to control anger. Sometimes anger takes place in relation to circumstances that a person cannot control. When this happens, make a concise plan about how to deal with the problem and then pay attention to your progress in coping with the situation at hand. Do the best you can but do not beat yourself up if things do not go as planned. Just keep on trying your best.

Control anger by taking yourself out of the environment that is a breeding ground for more anger. Always take a breather from stressful times and schedule some down time or personal time for yourself every day, even if it is just an hour per day. Do something you enjoy or something that makes you happy, such as reading a book, watching a movie, taking a walk, relaxing in the bathtub, gardening, going window shopping, and so on. Learning to relax is an excellent way to diffuse a situation where anger is taking hold. Try some basic relaxation exercises such as using imagery or deep breathing to help you feel calmer and more centered. For example,learn to breathe from your diaphragm, as breathing from your chest as most people tend to do is not going to help relax your mind and body at all. Choose a word or a phrase and repeat it to yourself in your head whenever you are feeling angry. Suggestions are using the word "calm" or "relaxed,” “take a breath," "calm down,” or “take it easy.” Imagery goes a long way in making relaxation a reality. Visualize a scene or a memory that helps to calm you and brings you joy.

Yoga is another way to relax yourself from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes. There are many different forms of yoga. So, make sure you choose the one that is slow and non-strenuous to the body. Yoga helps to relax the muscles as well as calm the mind. Other ways to relax in order to control anger include getting a massage or taking the time to learn to meditate.

Cognitive restructuring is another method of controlling anger. Put more simply, this means altering the way you think about events, people and the like. Angry people often exaggerate, blow situations out of proportion and leave all forms of logic behind. Always remind yourself that in the end anger solves nothing; instead, it complicates situations even more. An attitude adjustment is often an effective means of controlling anger.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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