Controlling Anger

Dealing with anger is easier said than done. I had a controlling anger problem for many years, so I know what I'm talking about.

The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know.
Author: Blaise Pascal

Sometimes, if you suffer from rage, you simply cannot control your anger. I could feel the anger boiling. I knew that it was irrational, and that I had no reason to get so upset, but I still could not control it. Sometimes, my anger would scare me. I would threaten people I know, rage around the house storming and smashing things, or even throw a punch. Until I learned to control anger, I was literally a prisoner of my own emotions. If you do not know how to control anger, you must learn both for your own sake and the sake of those around you.

Unfortunately, controlling anger is easier said than done. There are many methods out there nowadays, but none of them work for everyone. Anger management and anger therapy are some of the most popular ones. Basically, you can either psychoanalyze the root of the anger and deal with it that way, or you can learn tips and tricks to control your anger before it boils over.

Change will come when the pain of staying the same is worse than the pain of change.
Author: unknown

I have found that the best result comes from combining these two techniques together. They are both good ways of controlling anger, but there are some more unorthodox methods that also have their value.

The idea of using hypnosis or meditation to control anger has grown in popularity recently. Back as recently as 10 years ago, controlling anger with meditation was viewed as hokum. No one took the idea seriously at all. Everyone thought that you had to deal with anger intellectually. If you did not know how to deal with anger intellectually, how would learning to meditate do any good? Nonetheless, people have seen the errors of this approach since then. Anything that relaxes you emotionally, such as meditation, taking a long walk, taking a hot shower, or reading, can be a good method of controlling anger. The important thing is to find out what works for you and to do it!

In my case, I had to find my own tools for controlling anger. It was a long and involved process of trial and error. Fortunately, I had a supportive staff of anger management professionals who were there to help me out in my trials and ordeals. A network of people to help you is the most important tool you can have for controlling anger. Without it, it is impossible to succeed.

Are we going to be friends forever? Asked Piglet. Even longer, Pooh answered.
Author: A.A. Milne -- Winnie the Pool