Manage your anger While you may think that lashing out or hitting a pillow or a punching bag helps you release tension, the opposite is true. It teaches you to develop a behavior pattern: Get mad, punch. Get mad, get even. Get mad, harbor stress until it eats away at you. Instead, do the opposite of what you’d expect. Research has found that “letting it rip” with anger actually escalates anger and aggression and does nothing to help you (or the person you’re angry with) resolve the situation. In general, to cope with an emotion, you have to do the opposite. The opposite of anger isn’t to withdraw or lash out but to develop empathy. So instead of swearing at your teacher for making you do homework, try to think about the twenty-some unruly kids she has to deal with all day long. And if all else fails, bang out some push-ups or go for a run. Telling yourself to “stay calm” usually doesn’t help. Exercise actually helps lessen the effects of anger and stress
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 23:17:51 +0000
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