Coping with anger…
People quite commonly have the perception that feeling anger within themselves or towards an external situation is uncommon and not normal, however I’m here to tell you today that anger, just like happiness is a normal, healthy emotion to feel. Experiencing anger is never the problem, it’s how you respond and react to the emotion that can create issues.
If you are someone who responds to anger negatively, you may find this will not only create stress for yourself but can also impact your relationships and career opportunities, just to name a few.
There are many ways you can respond to anger and there is never one size fits all. Today I will share with you 3 tips on how you could choose to respond differently when you next feel anger.
Notice your thoughts & challenge them – This sounds easy but can be quite challenging. What your thinking is driving your emotions so by noticing and becoming aware of your thoughts allows you to identify the thought patterns that promote your anger.
Once you are aware of the thoughts you can learn to reframe and challenge how you think about things by asking yourself a few simple questions:
- What evidence do I have for this thought to be true and/or not true?
- Can I look at this from a different perspective?
- What would I say to a friend who was thinking these things?
Think before you speak – It’s no secret that during challenging situations right in the heat of the moment we often say hurtful things we don’t mean; this can have a long-term negative effect on relationships.
This is where think before you speak comes to the party. You can take time to think in several ways, all of which will allow you to gather your thoughts and respond successfully.
- Counting to 10 before responding
- Taking 3 deep breaths
- Walking away and returning
Be willing to forgive and let go – If your anger has resulted from a discussion/event involving another person it will prove to be almost impossible to resolve if you’re unwilling or unable to forgive. If you can’t come to an agreement, agree to disagree.
But know that you always have a choice to let go and move on.
Once you can decide that the anger your carrying will release.
We, as humans will always experience anger, this is certain. What else is certain is you can choose how you respond to anger.
If anger is playing into your life negatively today is the day you can chose to do something about it.
You have that power.
