Category Archives: Counseling

It’s normal to feel angry at times, but the way you handle this natural emotion can be harmful. Lashing out at others or holding your feelings in are destructive ways of dealing with anger. They can have a serious negative impact on you mentally and physically when they become habitual responses. If you’re having a lot of trouble coping with anger, taking steps to manage it is highly important.

Relax
When you feel angry, resist the urge to react as you normally would. Instead, count to 10 to give yourself time to calm down. Take deep breaths before responding to the person who made you angry or taking any other action. This pause allows you to gather your thoughts and relax your body and mind. Doing this can help reduce feelings of anger and weaken the impulse to handle it in a destructive manner.

Be Assertive, Not Aggressive
Keeping your anger in check doesn’t mean that you’re not allowed to disagree with someone or stand up for yourself. You can work on being assertive instead of aggressive. This involves speaking to others tactfully while keeping your emotions under control. Learning how to be assertive gives you a safe and healthy way to deal with your anger. Keep in mind that this skill requires a lot of practice and patience to master.

Change Your Thoughts
You might not be able to control angry thoughts that arise, but you can change them. When certain events trigger angry responses, pay close attention to the thoughts that go through your head. Get into the habit of replacing them with positive or neutral ones. When you’re angry, your thoughts tend to be exaggerated. Try to think about the event that caused your anger in a more realistic, objective way. This helps you keep things in perspective and reduces the chance that the same or similar situation will make you angry in the future.

Find Solutions
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when you deal with anger on a regular basis. Instead of reacting in a negative way when certain things trigger your anger, look for solutions. For example, try to minimize the amount of time you interact with a co-worker who frequently tests your patience. Focusing on finding solutions takes the emphasis of off the person or situation that causes you to feel angry and helps you deal it with more constructively.

Let It Go
If you’re dealing with an issue or problem that you can’t control, you might need to just let it go. In order to do this, you’ll need to recognize and accept your own limitations. This way of handling anger can prove to be much more difficult than any others since it requires a considerable amount of self-control. You shouldn’t be ignoring or burying your anger in this case. You’ll need to accept the fact that you can’t deal with the issue or problem and move on.

related course:
http://www.onlineceucredit.com/ceus-online/cti-anger-management/continuing-education.html