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5 best anger busters
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Don't get mad, get healthy. Try one of these suggestions for dealing with your rage in satisfying ways.
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By Karyn J. Wilson
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Recently, while searching in vain for prime parking at the mall, I had to settle for a spot some distance from the entrance. After turning off the engine, I snatched my keys from the ignition and threw them on the passenger seat. Immediately, I was ashamed by my behaviour and alarmed by how easily I became enraged. How could something so trivial cause me to react in such a rash manner?
Recognize the warning signs
Anger goes hand in hand with stress. It manifests itself in many ways, from hurling car keys and throwing tantrums to developing tense shoulders and headaches. At low doses, stress excites you and drives you to accomplish goals. But too much stress -- the kind that triggers angry outbursts -- signals that you need coping skills to ease you through frustrations.
Here are five ways to instantly tame your temper, plus exercises to help you effectively cope with stress over time.
1. Take a walk
At work, a coworker or your boss confronts you in an aggressive manner and you immediately want to lash out. Instead of losing your cool, take a time-out, suggests Peggy Grall, executive coach and author of Just Change It: The Fast Track Guide to Personal and Professional Renewal (Peggy Grall & Associates Inc., 2004). "Don't get back to work right away," Grall says. "When you are ticked off, take a brisk walk, breathe deeply and fill your system with oxygen."
A change of scenery may be all you need to calm your nerves and gain perspective. Then you'll be better able to deal with the situation or simply let it go.
2. Let nice words guide you
You'll always have a little stress-buster handy if you create, and regularly repeat, a mantra. Your personal mantra is a phrase that has a deep meaning or a positive message. Grall suggests "I am a competent person" or a passage from the Bible. Repeat it every day, especially during calm moments such as when you're relaxing in front of a good movie or meditating. When stress builds, use your mantra to automatically cool yourself.
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