Anger doesn’t have to be a destructive emotion. In fact, research shows that anger is followed by aggression only 10 percent of the time. If harnessed correctly, you can use your anger to mindfully reflect and reduce stress in your life.
Suppressing or ignoring your anger will not make it go away; it will only build up and increase your stress over time. And expressing your anger in negative ways (like shouting or fighting) may make matters worse. Instead, determine the degree of the anger you’re experiencing; for instance, if you are filled with rage you cannot mindfully reduce your stress. If you are simply irritated or annoyed, you can reduce your stress by reflecting on the angry feelings you’re experiencing and using your emotions to positively impact your life.
Listed below are Mindful anger tips for you to consider:
- Anger for Self-Awareness: Understanding what makes you angry is extremely beneficial. With this insight you’ll learn more about yourself and you can prevent stress in the future, by avoiding your anger triggers. Also, anger can also bring attention to your own faults and inspire you to make changes for the future.
- Anger for Motivation: When we are angry about something it may motivate us to make a change or overcome barriers in order to achieve our goals. Anger can also motivate us to practice stress management techniques like meditation or talking with a friend.
- Anger for Self-Esteem: When people say rude things or treat you badly you may experience feelings of anger. This anger can encourage you to stand up for yourself, and strengthen your self-esteem. High self-confidence can lead to lower stress levels.
- Anger for Alertness: Being angry, especially over the little things in life, can serve as a great reminder for what’s really important to us, like our health and our relationships. It can encourage us to spend more time with our loved ones. Or it can inspire us to make positive changes in our lives such as eating well and exercising more.
- Anger for Energy: When you’re angry your body experiences a surge of adrenaline. You can harness this energy to reduce stress. This adrenaline boost can help you become more productive with your work or encourage you to exercise more, which will help reduce your stress.
How have you used anger to positively impact your life? Let us know!