Work environments can be places of stress for those who struggle to deal with anger in a reasonable manner. With today’s violent media modeling acts of horror in movies, the unbalanced person who has not developed good coping skills can act out a fantasy of getting even.
But getting even is not an answer. People need to control their anger and learn how to manage it. Here are seven cool down strategies taken from my small book on Breaking Free from Anger and Unforgiveness that has sold close to 100,000 copies.
Take A Breath
We are taught this as children and it works. Count to 10, breathing slowly and calming down your body. The key is to try and slow yourself down, relaxing the body.
Time Out
Get away from the situation but your self-talk matters during the time-out. You have to calm yourself, not rev yourself up with what may feel like an injustice. Self-talk like, “It will be OK. I can handle this. I need to be more forgiving. I am not a victim and can deal with this…” are the types of calming statement to tell yourself while you are in time-out.
Pray (...or meditate for the non-religious amongst us)
When you are frustrated and angered, pray.
Practice Restraint
Don’t act impulsively or meditate on ways to get even. Be the bigger person and use restraint.
Write A Letter You Do Not Send
If you need an outlet for rage; write a letter that you don’t send. It may help you release those feelings and is a safe way to vent. But venting anger, often gives rise to more.
Violence
If you feel unfairly treated, misunderstood or victimized, think of ways to solve the problem without violence. Most times, you have options.
Media
Violent media do contribute to our desensitization of violence and do increase aggression. If you struggle with anger impulses, be sensible and don’t consume media that feeds that struggle.
What coping strategies for anger do you have?
No comments:
Post a Comment