Anger as an emotion is counterproductive and toxic emotion. It can cost us our health, safety, time and even money. Here are five ways to calm yourself down when the need be
Write it down
Whenever you feel angry, for whatever reason, write about it in detail. List down all the situations, people and things making you angry and use whatever tone you feel like using. This exercise will help you calm your frustration in that point in time. It will also help you better organize your thoughts and guide you towards finding solutions to things that trigger your anger, when you re-read these lists or paragraphs at a later time, when you feel composed.
Watch something funny
Watching something completely random and comedic will most likely lighten your mood. But not only that; it will also, in the process, help you critique whatever you watch, honestly.This will help you in the future to not hold back in constructively critiquing your own work and making it the best version of itself.
Drink water
Water helps in everything, doesn’t it? So of course, it will help in situations where you don’t seem to be able to control your anger, as well. Whenever you feel a heavy period of exasperation taking over you mind, get yourself to sit down and drink water. Do so until you literally feel your body cool down, and trust me, you will feel that way, eventually. This will subconsciously create a habit of drinking water in your routine, even when you feel only slightly irritated.
Arts and Crafts
Naturally, when our rage is trying to get the best of us, we feel like throwing and breaking things. When you feel like doing so, get yourself a piece of paper, a pair of scissors and whatever art supplies are easily accessible. Start making random patterns and gluing things together. Take help from a YouTube tutorial to make something if you feel like it. This way your anger will be diverted from wanting to destroy things to ending up creating things.
Go outside
More often than not, the reason for our anger is somewhat linked to the people around us. So, when you feel too frustrated of being around these people, go out alone.
Go to a park or just walk along a street, whatever suits you better. Witness nature in all its glory until all the negative thoughts in your mind fade away.
Published in Daily Times, October 15th 2018.