Sure, you get angry. Maybe your anger is occasional. Or maybe you're angry almost all the time.
The good news is, it’s not your fault that your anger surfaces. It's all those other people and things around you! You know, the ones who deliberately drive slowly in front of you. The people in line who spend forever getting the right change out of their purse. Your boss at work who always gives you the hardest jobs with the shortest deadlines. It doesn't matter why you've become angry. It’s what to do to get rid of your anger or at least manage your anger that counts.
So what can you do to manage your anger?
1 – Count to ten. Slowly.
Sure, your mother probably told you to do this when you were child. And you’re not a child any more. Want to know a secret? It works just as well now (maybe even better) than it did when you were younger. If it helps, swear under your breath with each number you count. When you count to 10, make sure you count slowly. It isn't a race. Time your breaths to coincide with your counting and make each breath long and deep. Exactly the same when you exhale your breath.
2 - Breathe in deeply.
Ideally, more than just one. Five or more long, deep breaths will go a long way to managing your anger. Give it a go now, while you're calm and collected. Breathe in. Slowly. Pay attention to the air as it starts to fill your lungs. Then hold your breath for a second or so. Then slowly exhale, again noticing how the air feels as it leaves you. See your anger leave your body on the crest of this air and watch it dissipate into thin air.
3 - Talk about your angry feelings.
Maybe with your shrink. Or - and this is cheaper - with a friend or work colleague you can trust. Use this talking to express your thoughts. But probably not screaming at the top of your voice. Quite often your anger is caused by the straw that broke the camel’s back and can be triggered by something relatively trivial. Talking about it and maybe not taking yourself too seriously in the process can be a great way to diffuse the anger.
4 - Award yourself some relaxation time.
Anger often goes hand in hand with stress. Relaxation is a fantastic way to relieve your stress. In turn, that will begin to calm your angry feelings. Or at least reduce the amount of time that you're feeling angry. Relaxation (a lost art in our modern society) takes many different forms. Choose one that's best for you. Whether it's a walk in the park. Or a long soak in the bath. Or listen to a specially designed relaxation MP3 that you've found on the internet.
5 - Use hypnosis for anger management.
Hypnosis is an easy way to reduce your anger. It works with you to help change how you react to situations that would have previously made you angry. It's really cheap and with today's internet downloads completely discrete. Check out this hypnosis anger management track for more information.
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