Health & Fitness

Strategies for Managing Anger

Uncontrolled anger can damage relationships and be harmful to your body

By Wellness Matters /

Credit: lisa_at_home2002

Don’t let anger eat away at you

Anger is a normal emotion – a response to perceived threats or an unfortunate situation.

In most people, anger rises and passes quickly and uneventfully. However, some people have a hard time managing their feelings of anger, often with negative results.

Uncontrolled or badly directed anger can be extremely destructive, causing relationships with family, friends and co-workers to suffer. Anger is also hard on the body, as an angry person is more likely to experience elevated heart rate and blood pressure as well as increased stress-hormone levels.

It’s impossible to avoid all of the family or work-related situations that may cause you to feel angry or irritated, but you can learn how to respond to them with an appropriate level of calm and assertiveness. Don’t let your feelings of anger get out of control.

Techniques for Managing Anger

  • Count to 10 before responding.
  • Repeat a calming word or phrase in your mind (e.g., “take it easy”).
  • Practise deep breathing when you are not angry. Use it to help you stay calm in tense situations.
  • Excuse yourself from the situation, and then return when you have calmed down.

Learning to control the way you respond to the frustrations of life will help keep your anger from controlling you.

Originally published in Wellness Matters, Canada Wide Media’s quarterly newsletter on health and wellness.