Anger is a natural emotion that everyone experiences. However, like any emotion, it becomes unhealthy if you can’t control it or you let it influence your thoughts and behaviors. Proper anger management skills are the key to forging a healthy relationship with your anger. By learning how to control your temper and work through conflict productively, you can better regulate your emotions and maintain healthier, more positive relationships. Learn more with these tips for improving anger management skills.
Understand the Source of Your Anger
There are many different causes of anger. A lot of the time, feelings of frustration or fury stem from deeper conflicts. Maybe you feel hurt, overwhelmed, or exasperated, and those feelings cause you to lash out. For example, anger is often intertwined with anxiety.
In such cases, you can’t truly manage your anger until you address the emotion behind it. By working through your anxiety, pain, or other root emotions, you can better understand where your anger comes from and how it affects your thoughts and behaviors.
Address Concerns When You’re Calm
Anger hinders your ability to think clearly and react calmly. When you act in anger, you often end up saying or doing things that you know are hurtful. One of the biggest tips for improving anger management skills is learning to resolve conflicts before or after your anger flares up. When calm, you can work through issues with more patience and civility. Recognizing when you’re too angry to handle conflict—and then learning how to step back until you feel calm again—is the key to managing your anger productively.
Talk With a Professional
Mental health professionals help clients build better anger management skills. In therapy or counseling sessions, you can navigate the complicated issues at the source of your anger to build a better understanding of your anger. You can also learn other helpful skills like emotional regulation and mentalization. These techniques all help you build a healthier relationship with anger and other emotions to lead a healthier, more positive life.
