Ditch Anger

Anger can be a tricky emotion to handle: it’s not particularly nice to witness or to feel. Experts say it’s not always just the anger itself we should be concerned about, though. Often anger can be a warning sign that we might need to look a little deeper. Anger might come from a sense that an injustice happened, someone has crossed a personal boundary, or an event has occurred in which a person felt threatened. Anger is often a response to something in life feeling not quite right, or unfair. Left unattended, anger can manifest as resentment and unhelpful feelings toward a person or event, or even lead to depression and anxiety. Processed and acknowledged, though, anger can help us to identify personal boundaries and assert those with others. If you are having difficulty with anger, try these expert tips to better manage your feelings: • Strike while the iron is cold. In other words, do not respond to someone when angry. You may say something you later regret. • Find a way for the body to release the stress hormones associated with anger. Go for a walk, head to the gym, or go for a swim. Get your body moving. • Ask for a timeout. If you’re feeling anger in a heated discussion with a loved one it’s perfectly OK to ask for a timeout. You can park the topic and circle back to it once you both have calmed down and have a different perspective. • Meditate. This may sound like the last thing you’d want to do when you’re angry, but meditation can actually help deescalate the stress your body is feeling and provide a sense of calm and relaxation. That’s just what the body needs when experiencing anger.