It’s no secret that letting anger simmer or having rage outbursts hurts your personal and professional relationships. Beyond that, it also impacts your well-being. Constantly bottling up our frustration can lead to physical and emotional reactions, including high blood pressure and anxiety. The good thing is we have 11 ways right here for you to release pent-up anger. Check them out below.
Take deep breaths: In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to overlook your breathing. But that kind of shallow breathing you do when you’re angry keeps you in fight-or-flight mode. To combat this, try taking slow, controlled breaths you inhale from your belly rather than your chest. This allows your body to instantly calm itself.
Recite a comforting mantra: Try slowly repeating, “Take it easy,” or “Everything’s going to be okay,” the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by a situation.
Try visualization: When wrestling with boiling tension, try painting a mental picture to calm your body and brain, such as a real place where you’ve felt happy before.
Mindfully move your body: Sometimes, sitting still can make you feel even more anxious or on edge. Mindfully moving your body with yoga and other calming exercises can release tension in your muscles.
Check your perspective: Your mood today can change tomorrow. Everyone has bad days from time to time, and tomorrow will be a fresh start.
Express your frustration: Angry outbursts won’t do you any favors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t vent your frustrations to a trusted friend or family member after a particularly bad day.
Defuse anger with humor: The next time you feel your rage bubbling up, imagine how this scenario might look to an outsider? How might this be funny to them? By not taking yourself too seriously, you’ll have more chances to see how unimportant minor annoyances are in the big scheme of things.
Change your surroundings: If your home is cluttered and stressing you out, for example, take a long walk.
Recognize triggers and find alternatives: If your daily commute turns you into a ball of rage and frustration, try finding an alternative route or leaving earlier for work. Got a loud co-worker who constantly taps their foot? Look into some noise-canceling headphones.
Focus on what you appreciate: Instead of focusing on misfortunes, try refocusing on the things that went well.
Seek help: It’s totally normal and healthy to feel upset and angry from time to time. But if you can’t shake a bad mood or constantly feel overwhelmed by anger, it might be time to ask for help.
