| Anger doesn't just affect mental health - if can | | | | Again, screaming and shouting is important. Don't |
| hurt you physically, socially, financially, everything. | | | | hold it back for fear of scaring your neighbours. |
| What are some of the best resources out there | | | | When I dealt with my anger, I went for long |
| on anger management? This article gives some | | | | drives alone at night, and screamed at the driving |
| great tips and also lists out all the most effective | | | | wheel. It worked wonders. |
| resources available. | | | | Fresh anger |
| Anger has a tremendous effect on your mental | | | | The next kind of anger is "fresh" anger. While it is |
| health. That much is obvious. It distorts our | | | | a very complex subject, here is a bit of |
| thinking, drags us into depression, keeps us | | | | information that helps. |
| constantly boiling inside and constantly keeps us in | | | | Fresh anger is triggered by thought. It could be a |
| a state of war. | | | | reaction to a current event or person, it could be |
| From there, it spreads out to disrupt our outside | | | | anxiety over the future, or it could be a painful |
| life - our studies, work, friends, romances, family | | | | past memory. These thoughts could come so |
| relationships. It even hurts us physically - many | | | | fast that you don't catch it, and so you go |
| extremely dangerous conditions such as cancer | | | | straight into an anger response. |
| and high blood pressure are linked to anger. | | | | These emotional responses then strengthen and |
| First of all, we have to understand what anger is. | | | | further distort your thoughts, and so it begins a |
| Anger is not wrong in any way. Yes, I believe we | | | | vicious cycle. To stop fresh anger, many anger |
| can transcend it, but to make ourselves wrong | | | | management resources recommend replacing |
| for being angry will only hurt us more. | | | | these angry thoughts with positive thoughts "It's |
| What is anger | | | | not that bad," or "calm down". I personally found it |
| Anger is a protection system - it allows others, | | | | hard to switch thoughts when you are seeing red. |
| and us, to know when something is wrong. This is | | | | I suggest taking a page from meditation and |
| especially true in older times - if physical action is | | | | clearing the mind. When you clear the mind you |
| needed, anger is what lets us fight if we have to, | | | | stop the thoughts, and the anger dies soon |
| for our own protection. This is also the reason | | | | afterwards with nothing to feed it. |
| why anger sometimes gives us a feeling of | | | | The fastest way to stop the thoughts is to |
| power - and this is why it is so addictive. | | | | watch your breath. This is also a meditation |
| But in this day and age, reacting with aggression, | | | | technique. Feel the breath. What does it feel like |
| violence, or shouting is uncalled for. It is often a | | | | as the air passes through your nose? What does |
| sign of emotional weakness and immaturity. | | | | it feel like as it goes into your lungs, and as it |
| (Although sometimes you have to tell someone | | | | comes back up? By occupying your mind in such |
| to back off.) | | | | a way, it cannot think any angry thoughts - it |
| Most people know that reacting without emotional | | | | cannot do more than two things at once. |
| control is weak, and so they try to keep their | | | | Great Resources |
| cool. They do in the wrong way, however, and | | | | Of course, these are just very basic overviews |
| they end up repressing their anger - which leads | | | | on anger management. There are some great |
| to all the ills we mentioned above. | | | | resources, but it can be a while to sift through |
| Anger management resources are vital in | | | | the rubbish. |
| differentiating between the right and wrong ways | | | | Here are some of the works that I recommend: |
| in controlling anger: You could lose more than just | | | | A New Earth or The Power of Now by Eckhart |
| your mental health. | | | | Tolle: His spiritual works don't cover just anger but |
| To make things easier, I'll differentiate between | | | | every thing that could disturb your peace and |
| two types of anger: Repressed, and "Fresh". They | | | | happiness. |
| are dealt with in different ways. | | | | The Australian Psychological Society has a strictly |
| Repressed anger | | | | psychological approach: They have a small free |
| For repressed anger, here's a quick summary of | | | | online guide. |
| how to release it: Let it all hang out, but not on | | | | I've taken the best of both spiritual and |
| the person or event that makes you angry. Find | | | | psychological approaches (both used to overcome |
| somewhere you can be alone. | | | | my own crippling anger), and written a more |
| Then, simply give your anger a voice. Scream out | | | | comprehensive ebook for free anger |
| whatever has been tearing you up - everything | | | | management and sadness. |
| that you've wanted to say. Scream until you | | | | Lastly, I'd like to congratulate you on taking steps, |
| become the scream. This is the most important | | | | looking for anger management resources, and |
| ingredient. Take some safe physical action at the | | | | looking after your mental health. A lot of people |
| same time. For people who like punching, punch | | | | don't even recognise that they have a problem. |
| the pillow. For those who feel better twisting, find | | | | As a result their mental health deteriorates until it |
| a thick towel and twist it with all your might. | | | | - or their lives -hit rock bottom. |