Smooth sailing through life is near impossible for the majority of adults – that’s just the nature of being grown up and having responsibility.
Adult life is not for the faint-hearted, and sometimes, it all catches up with you in a moment of uncontrolled anger.
But adult life is all about handling these tough and frustrating moments, and not about succumbing to bouts of rage. If we did, who knows what the world would look like!
Here’s a simple guide to staying out of trouble and controlling your anger when life hands you a bunch of lemons…
A Guide to Controlling Your Anger and Staying Out of Trouble
We all get angry at times, it’s a valid human emotion. Generally, anger is a reaction to being provoked by stress, frustration or some form of inconvenience.
But the reality is that anger is actually a ”quick fix” and more often than not, you probably feel terrible after an angry outburst, not better. To add to this an angry outburst can lead to bad decisions and actions which you may regret.
An example of this is uncontrolled road rage, which could end up in disaster and lawyer’s fees- learn more about that here.
Here’s how to avoid trouble and control your anger with these simple steps:
1. Take Stock of Your Reactions
As soon as something stressful or negative happens in your life, try to take note of what your natural, immediate reaction is. Is it one of negativity, anger or frustration? Most likely.
Overall, your mindset affects your ability to succeed and live a happy life. If you are constantly bogged down by negative reactions to stress, this impacts your entire mindset overall.
Try to alter your mindset in a more positive direction when something stressful comes up. It will take time, but eventually, your natural reaction to stress will start to change to a calmer, positive reaction.
2. Turn Your Focus to the Positive Aspects of Your Life
Stressful situations happen all the time- from spilling your coffee on your work clothes, to chipping a tooth when you don’t have dental cover.
This is all part of life and being alive. Try to take stock of all the positive things in your life and you’ll notice your attitude begin to change and anger subside.
It sounds cliche, but the power of positive thought and affirmations can do wonders to change your attitude on a daily basis. If you struggle with remaining positive, begin a gratitude journal and fill in 5 things you’re grateful for every morning.
3. Take Comfort From Those Around You
That’s what your support network is there for – to offer comfort in times of stress and frustration. Make sure you’re surrounding yourself with happy, positive people who help you out of dark times, and don’t worsen your mood.
We tend to mirror what we see, hear and feel. If you are surrounded by negative people, this will only fuel a negative attitude and your reactions to stress.
4. What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger
If you learn to develop the mentality that hardships make you stronger, this, in turn, develops your levels of resilience.
Overall, this type of attitude helps to encourage leadership, stamina, and better physical and mental health. Holding onto this mentality helps to stimulate your levels of courage, turning adversity into an advantage.
5. Forget About Unreasonable People
It may be time to assess how much you aim to please other people, before yourself. If you feel like you’re constantly fighting a losing battle with unreasonable people, cut them from your life.
This includes trying to garner their approval, a better opinion or understanding of who you are. If you feel judged by certain people, this is generally their own issue, not yours.
Being around people who don’t understand you is draining and can negatively affect your own perception of yourself. This can cause emotional stress and outbursts of anger.
6. Assess Your Diet
What does your diet really have to do with controlling your anger? Well, everything. What and when you eat greatly affects your moods and your ability to control your emotions. This makes you all the more prone to outbursts of anger and frustration.
Skipping meals such as breakfast is a big no-no if you lead a busy life as most adults do. Take a look at your diet and the types of foods you eat – are they healthy, fulfilling and balanced?
If not, this is probably contributing to your mood swings and inability to control your anger.
7. Prioritize Your Mental Health
The status of your mental health is a huge contributing factor to how you handle stressful situations in your life. If you are over-loaded mentally, this leaves very little room for rationalization and level-headed thinking.
Make a point of off-loading your stress and clearing your mind through a healthy outlet each day. This could include exercise, spending time away from social media, reading a book, taking a long bath etc.
Your mental health directly affects how you feel on a day-to-day basis. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed, outbursts of anger and frustration are guaranteed.
8. Take Time Out to Be Alone
In the same vein as prioritizing your mental health, alone time is very important for de-stressing and unloading after a hectic day.
Being completely alone with yourself also allows you to face yourself, your life, your stress, and deepest feelings. Superficial distractions such as your laptop, social media etc. are a constant distraction that doesn’t allow for this.
Set time aside in your day for 30-minutes to be completely alone, clear your mind, face your frustrations and breathe!
Prioritize Your Health With MyZeo
Staying out of trouble when you’re angry and frustrated is a challenge for most people. But with these anger management tips, you should be able to make a positive change.
If finances are bogging you down, check out this article on how to manage your finances as well as your mental health!
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