10 Anger Management Tips

These 10 anger management tips will help you recognize and control a common emotion--anger. Anger is one of those feelings that you can rarely avoid. You can work on your anger management, so you can regain your self-control and prevent yourself from doing or saying something you will regret.

1. Take a deep breath. Find a place to sit, close your eyes and breath deeply. Focus on counting down from ten while you breathe in and out. The counting takes your mind off the problem and allows you to let go of the frustrations.
2. Walk away. Whether it’s a person or a situation that triggered the need for anger management, find a safe spot where you can regain your composure. This can be a specific place, such as a store, park or a different room where you can sit and try to relax for a few minutes.  
3. Ask for a time out. Tell the other person you’ll come back to the discussion once you’ve calmed down. Then leave the room and get some space.
4. Buy a punching bag or take a boxing class. Or get a rubber ball that you can squeeze or throw when your anger gets out of control. At home, walk into the bedroom, put your mouth against a pillow and scream your heart out. Letting the frustration out through physical means can sometimes work wonders for anger management.
5. Recognize triggers so you can avoid them. Whether it’s noise, past-due bills or a deadline at work, try to work out possible solutions for it. For example, set up a budget so you can cut down expenses from your entertainment or food budgets and use the extra money towards your debt.
6. Evaluate the importance of the situation. If getting angry over somebody cutting in line in front of you is going to ruin your whole day, is it really worth it? Anger management is sometimes about just letting go of the little things.
7. Take up yoga or meditation. Exercise in general is good for anger management. Yoga will work out the body while clearing your mind.
8. Try to find the humor in every situation. Imagine the people around you as characters in a comedy and try to figure out what will happen next. If you see the situation as a “comedy of errors,” chances are you’ll end up laughing about the whole thing.
9. Learn visualization techniques. Find a place you love, whether it’s the memory of somewhere you’ve been before or a picture from a magazine. When you need anger management help, imagine yourself in that place, away from everything that stresses you out.
10. Speak less and listen more. Give yourself some time to think about what you’re going to say. This will reduce the chances for confrontation or the fight from escalating.