Anger is often a misunderstood emotion. It is often seen as something negative, which in most cases it is. It can cause people to do crazy things that are out of the ordinary and oftentimes is one of the main culprits of addiction…
And, for some, anger can be dangerous. It can be a destructive force that fuels someone’s actions…
However, anger is an emotion – just like sadness, happiness, worry. Anger does not have to be dangerous or scary. When properly managed, it is okay to feel angry.
In fact, feeling angry is actually healthy. Just like any of your other emotions, anger is your mind giving a cue on how you should react toward the rest of the world. So, to experience anger just makes you human.
But, during a time of stress and sadness, and especially during addiction recovery, anger can be an overwhelming emotion. To avoid it turning into a negative or violent emotion, you will need to practice anger management.
Here are a few tips to help you manage your anger in a safe and productive way:
- Practice taking deep breaths.
There are several different deep breath techniques such as deliberately breathing in and out deeply or just counting up to a certain number as you breathe.
But, just by implementing a simple intervention step into your life when you notice you are feeling angry and overwhelmed, you can learn to calm yourself down before it goes too far.
- Give yourself a soothing pep talk.
Especially when you are mad, it can be hard to hear advice from other people. So, oftentimes, people telling you to calm down doesn’t really do much for you. However, you have the ability to talk and reason with yourself.
Take a second to remind yourself why it is important that you calm down and continue to remind yourself that everything is okay.
- Analyze your feelings.
Sometimes anger stems from your own self-defeating thoughts…When you feel the feeling of anger coming over you, stop for a moment and consider why you are feeling that way…
Are some of your thoughts promoting anger?
- Focus on engaging in regular self-care and hobbies.
This tip is more for long-term coping, but that is why it is the most important. Find something you love doing, something that helps relieve your stress. A lowered state of stress can also mean less anger.