Controlling Your Anger By Becoming Proactive

Controlling your anger is helpful in many situations, especially those related to addiction. Feeling unwanted emotions oftentimes leads to anger when someone is on their road to recovery, as the use of substances can no longer be used to mask these feelings.

Controlling your anger during recovery is essential. There are many ways those in recovery can practice healthy ways of dealing with anger. It is important to note, however, that controlling your anger by becoming reactive will not assist you during recovery. Those who practice the art of becoming proactive with their anger will find this induces confidence and, in turn, builds a healthier foundation for sobriety.

Controlling Your Anger

We’ve all been there, we’re driving down the highway and someone cuts us off. Our instinct is to yell, maybe even speed around them and cut them off. What this is a perfect example of is reactive anger. While cutting this person off, or yelling at them, may feel good in the moment, it does nothing for our wellbeing. Controlling your anger by being proactive will help us in a myriad of situations, from frustrations while driving to facing uncomfortable situations during sobriety.

“What all of these tips have in common is that they introduce a positive interruption to a negative mental or emotional state. These mindful interjections, however brief or long, provide a psychological opening from which you can recalibrate and choose more empowering action.”

5 Tips For Controlling Your Anger

–Pause and count to ten. Most times when something frustrates us, it feels right to react right away. This is reactive behavior. By pausing, taking a deep breath, and counting to ten, it gives our minds a chance to process what upset us and gives us time to react appropriately.
–Avoid jumping to negative conclusions about someone. When someone does something to make you upset, instead of jumping to conclusions about them try viewing the situation from different perspectives. For example, if a friend is short with you you might assume they are angry for some reason, but maybe they just had a rough day at work.
–Own your decisions. If you feel pressured to make a decision, give yourself the chance to think it over. If someone is pressuring you to do something, telling them “I’ll think about it,” instead of caving in and agreeing for the sake of agreeing, will give you power over your own choices.
–Use exercise as an outlet. If you are feeling frustrated or fearful, let your body let out some steam. “As the saying goes – motion dictates emotion. As you experience the vitality of your body, your confidence will also grow”
–Try and see the lesson in failures. By looking at what we can learn from our failures, we are teaching ourselves how to change perspective. Ask yourself questions like “What is the lesson? How can I learn from this experience?”

Controlling your anger by becoming proactive is a helpful tool for those in sobriety. For more information on anger management techniques or courses get in touch with The Bergand Group today.