Learn When & How to Control Your Anger (+ Why & Why not to Control it)

Last updated on January 28th, 2022

Before learning how to control your anger, you should always remember these 2 important things:

Releasing anger isn’t always bad

Sometimes releasing your anger is not bad. It is good for your mental health. Therefore, you should not suppress it always.

It helps to relieve stress, trauma, and depression. But remember, you should know where you have to stop yourself.

Controlling anger isn’t always good

Even scriptures have written on this issue that it is not acceptable to see injustice with your eyes. You must stir your anger for a noble cause. Stand for good things.

If our freedom fighters had not stirred their anger, we would not have got the freedom! It was never possible. Therefore, know when you have to come forward and show your anger.

Why you should control your anger

Anger doesn’t solve anything. It builds nothing but it can destroy everything.  – Lawrence Douglas Wilder

Releasing anger is good but becomes unacceptable if you fume at petty things like shouting at your kids over petty issues, getting furious if someone doesn’t act according to your wish, and so on.

• Because it can lead to many serious problems such as depression, permanent anxiety, and other mental disorders.
• Besides, you ruin your relationships with people. And your family members can suffer significantly due to your anger.

Therefore, before anger escalates, you must try some strategies to control your anger. Below is the list of ways you can control your anger:

How to control your anger

1. Remember the past experiences

The consequences of unstoppable anger can never be fruitful. It brings a kind of bitterness in you and your relationship whenever it starts to control your mind.

If you are an “easy to anger” person, you must have faced the bad consequences of doing so.

So, whenever, anger ruins your mood, think before you speak and remember your past experiences. It will help you zip your lips.

2. Show it at the right time

When someone criticizes you, you get angry. Save your anger for the right time. Prove yourself and show it at the right time.

Your anger would be valued as a meaningful thing!

3. Turn anger into a meaningful action

Use your anger for completing your goals. It can be a fitness goal, career goal or office goal to complete your project successfully.

It is just about distracting your mind as your anger doesn’t understand where it should explode.

Therefore it is you who can trick it by turning its negative energy into a positive force. Start your focus on improving yourself.

This article may help you in this regard:

How To Improve Yourself Every Day And Why You Should

4. Try Exercise

You may not know but physical activity help reduce your anger. How? Because it lowers your stress levels, according to scientific facts.

So try it!

When you see your anger is escalating, get on the treadmill, go outside for a brisk walk or running, or try swimming, cycling or some other physical activity that can release your stress.

5. Yoga and meditation

Some effective yoga poses can completely kill your stress in minutes.

But yoga & meditation wouldn’t help instantly if you are not a practitioner.

If you practice mindfulness daily, it is very helpful in managing your stress instantly.

If you are interested in meditation, read the guide here:

Meditation tips, benefits, and guidelines & a beginner’s how to

6. Control your negative thoughts

Learn the art of winning the battle with your negative thoughts. You can do this by practising self-talk.

Here are some effective tips you can read in this article –

How to stop the unremitting battle with negative thoughts

7.  Lighten up your mood with humour

It works for me. Earlier, whenever my anger was out of my control, I used to start crying.

But one day, when I was mad at my family and things and busy with releasing my anger, I had Mr Bean’s video popping up on my screen. I started watching it.

I was surprised to know that half of my anger vanished instantly. And then I continued to watch funny videos for 15 minutes. I felt that my mood was fresher than before.

Thus, I learnt that humour indeed works as a powerful technique to control anger.

8. Forgiveness

Sometimes it is very much important for mental peace. It used to be very hard to forgive people that kept me burning inside for days, months and even for years.

Then, one day I stumbled upon this quote which helped me to forgive many people and let things go and let past relationships go:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

~ Mother Teresa

9. Read positive quotes & things

If you’re hurt because of any sarcasm and criticism, reading uplifting quotes may help you.

For example, your boss shouted at you or you lost a project or you didn’t get the promotion that you deserved.

Here are some handpicked articles that may help you

• Positive quotes to lift your mood instantly
• Know your self worth
• Positive things to say to yourself in stress
• Chant these life mantras to boost your mood daily

10. Learn to ignore what makes you angry

Everyone has a different set of things that irritate them the most.

For example, if you don’t like a neighbour who backbites but she is present in all the important gatherings of society, so instead of getting irritated, learn to ignore her.

Try to manage your anger, since people can’t manage their stupidity.

Learn to ignore things. It’s the key to happiness.

11. Adopt healthy habits

Do things that can give you happiness and adopt some healthy habits. Helpful articles are:

• Do These Things for Mental Happiness
• Adopt Healthy Habits To Always Remain Cheerful
• 30 Quick Stress Buster Activities (Awaken Your Inner Child)
• 43 Productive Things To Do At Home To Curb Stress

12. Watch your thoughts

Sometimes you need to change your thought process. If you think positive, if your attitude is right, controlling your anger is comparatively easy.

Do an x-ray of your thoughts and you will find a way to control your anger.

13. Find a permanent solution

For example, you get mad at your husband when he walks into the room with wet feet.

Either find a solution or learn to ignore it.

14. Seek help

You must know when you should seek help. If you are unable to control anger despite everything, you must seek help and join an anger management class or consult a doctor.

Because it can harm your mental health severely. So, take care of it and do not make the mistake to ignore it.

Also read,

• Self-acceptance: 11 Ways To Accept Your Reality The Way It Is
• I Lost My Peace of Mind: Now What To Do Recover It 

If you liked the article, share it with someone you care about and help them stay mentally healthy and in a positive mood!