Stress Management:
Stress Management Technique II
Managing
Stress II Stress Management Education II Stress Management Training II
Stress
Management Tips II Stress Management Course II
Stress Management Activity II Time and Stress Management II
Stress
Management Program II
Exercise and
Stress Management II
Anger Stress Management II Stress Management Workshop
Stress Anger Management.
Dealing with Your Stress and Anger
By Coty D. Miranda
One of the more memorable cinematic scenes is in the 1976 movie
“Network” in which a very irate, stressed, angry and deranged TV
anchorman Howard Beale, played by Peter Finch, leans out the
window and yells, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it
anymore!”
Ever feel that way?
Like Finch’s character, we often let the daily stresses in our
lives build up to a breaking point until anger and possibly even
rage overtakes us.
But how do we handle stress and anger when it wells up within us?
First, we need to realize anger is a normal emotion. Sometimes
it’s only a brief, mild irritation. Other times, as with this
movie character, it can manifest itself as an intense rage. Both
can bring about physiological and biological changes – our heart
rate increases, blood pressure goes up, the adrenaline starts
pumping.
Your body reacts.
When our anger gets out of control – when it becomes detrimental,
causing us problems at work, home, with family and co-workers, or
even the driver in front of you – it’s time to take steps to learn
to understand and manage this emotion.
The American Psychological Association defines anger as a natural
adaptive response to threats - both external and internal; and the
instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond
aggressively. Anger often inspires powerful feelings and behaviors
that allow us to fight and attempt to defend ourselves when
attacked.
In other words, a certain amount of anger, they say, is necessary
to our survival. But expressing your anger in an assertive, not
aggressive - manner is the healthiest approach.
“Being assertive doesn’t mean being pushy or demanding, it means
being respectful of yourself and others,” says Charles Spielberger,
PhD, a psychologist and APA member specializing in the study of
anger.
To better handle your anger through assertiveness, learn to
improve your communication skills. When you feel anger rising,
slow down and think through what is your best response. Choose
your words carefully. Attack the problem, not the person. Learn to
listen and then assess the best way to deal with the situation.
Keep your cool.
As the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne/McKinley Health
Center advises its students in an anger management handout,
“Remember that getting angry escalates the situation and heightens
emotions. Logic can overcome anger. Respect each other and
recognize when to quit. When it is over, let it be over.”
Suppressing anger is another way in which we may attempt to deal
with this intense human emotion. Too often this method of handling
anger can find other avenues of release, generally negative.
Sometimes the anger turns inward, bringing with it hypertension,
high blood pressure, depression. Unexpressed anger can also result
in pathological problems. A person may become hypercritical of
others, cynical, or evince passive-aggressive behavior.
Another healthy way of managing anger is learning techniques to
calm yourself when you feel things might get out of control. Use
breathing exercises – inhaling deeply from your diaphragm through
your nose for five counts then releasing the air through your
mouth to the count of eight, all the while feeling your shoulder
and neck muscles relaxing. Speak positive words to yourself during
these breathing exercises. Use visual imagery to help yourself
relax.
And then there’s humor. Nothing defuses an angry situation like
humor. Colorado State University Psychologist Jerry Deffenbacher,
PhD, who specializes in anger management, reminds us anger is a
serious emotion, but is often accompanied by ideas, that, if
examined, can make you laugh. Humor can help you see problems in
perspective. He urges two cautions in using humor, however. One,
don’t try to simply “laugh off” your problems, rather use humor to
help yourself face them more constructively. Second, beware of
sarcastic or harsh humor which he says is simply another form of
unhealthy anger expression.
Finally, learn to mark what triggers your anger. If you’re having
a stressful day, take a break – find some quiet space for yourself
and practice your relaxing techniques. Practice the old adage of
“counting to 10” when you feel blindsided by anger or stress. Make
changes in your life if anger continues to recur in certain
situations or places. Maintain a positive outlook.
If you feel your anger is affecting your life and relationships,
don’t be hesitant to talk it over with a licensed mental health
professional or psychologist. Though we can’t eliminate anger or
stressful situations from our lives, we can learn to better deal
with them. The end result is a happier, more fulfilling life, and
that should be our goal.
Nutritional supplementation plays an integral
part of the stress management regime. We recommend using
Extress,
a homeopathic and nutrition supplement that is exceptionally
effective in aiding the body during periods of stress, tension,
anxiety, minor phobic reactions and complaints of generalized
patterns of anxious discomfort.
