Managing Anger Constructively

Managing anger constructively helps reduce stress and tension in your life. This often results in an overall sense of well being, feelings of happiness, and better physical and emotional health.

Manage your anger constructively.

Constructive and Destructive Anger

Anger is a normal emotion that everyone feels from time to time. This strong emotion ranges from feelings of being mildly irritated and annoyed to feelings of being intensely furious and full of rage. Although some people experience angry feeling more than others, it is how each person manages their feelings of anger that is important. You can manage anger destructively or constructively.

Managing anger destructively is actually allowing your anger to manage you. Destructive anger is an uncontrolled force that generally leads to bad feelings, angry words, or aggressive actions. It may escalate into violence causing damage or injury.

When you manage your anger constructively you are using the emotions you feel in a helpful, healthy manner. One form of constructive anger is expressing your feelings in a way that is assertive but nonthreatening. Learning to calm yourself and redirecting your anger to a constructive outlet are two other methods of managing anger in a beneficial way.

Expressing Anger Constructively

Learning to express anger in a constructive way is knowing how to channel your feelings into words that are not hurtful to the other person. By communicating your needs and concerns clearly and in a way that is assertive without being aggressive, you are conveying your anger in a manner that is positive and healthy.

• When expressing your angry feelings always be tactful.
• Never use blame or criticize the other person.
• Angry feelings are best shared when you are calm.
• Learn to use I statements such as I feel rather than you did.

Learning to Calm Yourself

When you feel yourself becoming angry, use an anger management technique to calm yourself and control the feelings of anger as they build. Doing this gives you time to calm down, rethink the situation and manage your anger in a constructive way.

One successful method of controlling anger is controlled deep breathing.

• Take a deep breath from the diaphragm
• Hold for the count of five
• Slowly exhale
• Repeat this breathing technique until the anger dissipates

Another successful calming technique to use when you feel your anger levels rising is visualization, also known as imagery. This technique involves seeing yourself in a calm and quiet place that you love, such as a beach, a garden, or the mountains. Visualization combined with deep breathing allows your body to return to a calm state. Another form of visualization involves seeing all the anger in your body being released through your mouth and nose as flames.

Redirecting Anger

There are many ways of redirecting the energy of your anger into constructive physical actions. Many people find that exercising helps them to manage their reactions to anger. They may go to a gym and workout, take a walk or go jogging. Others may find outlets for their built up anger by washing their car, rearranging a closet, or mowing the lawn.

Other constructive ways of managing anger include:

• Participating in a sport
• Meditation and yoga
• Writing down your feelings in a journal
• Doing an arts and crafts project
• Gardening
• Cleaning or doing any household activity such as painting, polishing silverware, or washing the floors

Managing Anger Constructively is Good for Your Health

Being aware of your main causes of stress and anger moods is helpful in managing feelings of anger. By knowing your response to different situations you are better equipped to handle anger in a positive constructive way. Doing this reduces the physical effects of anger on your body.

Anger causes a rise in blood pressure and heart rate, an increase in blood flow, and stiff and tense muscles. These physical reactions cause damage to the body over time as anger continues to be in control.

Managing anger constructively is being in control of your emotions instead of letting them control you. By knowing how to control this emotion, you can use its energy to affect your life and the lives of others in a positive and helpful way.

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