How to Let Go of Your Anger

For some people, letting go of anger or other emotions can be a challenge. This list will help you let go of your anger and move forward with your day. Let's face it: anger can ruin your whole day, and negativity breeds more negativity, so you've got to break the anger cycle.

Instructions

1. When the anger strikes, stop for a second, close your eyes, and breathe. This alone will likely not curb the anger, but it will get you in a better state of mind to move forward.

2. If possible, keep a stress ball or stress toy at your desk, in your bag, or another accessible location. Squeeze it, and if no one is looking, make a really mean, emotive face. Seriously. Make that mean, hateful face as if you were staring directly at whatever made you angry. Get tensed up for a few seconds and really feel that anger. When you stop, you will most likely have released some of the anger because you will have let some of it out.

3. Give yourself a distraction. This may sound strange, but when I get angry or upset, I have a keyword that I say in my head, and it allows me to move on to a different thought or emotion. I can be incredibly angry and repeat this word in my head a few times, then be able to move on. Some people are more visual, and for them thinking of a picture may be more effective than a word.

4. If you can't get rid of the anger right away, ride it out until you can leave the situation and find a way to relieve it. I find that going on an elliptical machine does wonders, or even reading, beading or watching TV. All of these things let me forget about life for a short while, and therefore become detached from the anger.

5. If you need to, and are able to, walk away. You will look much less strange if you excuse yourself walk away to the nearest restroom than if you start screaming, especially in an environment where screaming would be highly inappropriate. Just the act of walking away is slightly calming. Once you're in a private place, go ahead and cry out your anger if you need to. It's perfectly okay to cry to release your emotions.

6. If you really need to, give yourself a light pinch on the arm. The physical feeling will take your mind off of your emotional pain. Do not actually hurt yourself, just pinch hard enough to give yourself a distraction.

7. If your anger persists, try to permanently remove yourself from the situation that causes your anger. If you can't, work on techniques to deal with it, because anger and stress from that situation probably won't just disappear. It doesn't matter if someone else causes the anger, because you are the person that has to live within yourself and deal with the pain. So, if possible, get out of the negative situation, and if you can't, try to obtain an "I don't care!" attitude. After a while, you may start believing that attitude, and your anger may subside.

Tips & Warnings

• If your anger is out of hand, see a therapist. They can be very helpful.