How to Release Anger
Get some exercise., Practice controlled breathing., Practice progressive muscle relaxation., Perform an anger release ceremony., Use a stress-relief toy., Find something funny or silly., Listen to calming music., Repeat self-calming statements.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Get some exercise.
When you’re feeling angry, doing some moderate exercise could help you.
A study by the University of Georgia suggests that moderate exercise (such as running or riding a bike) during or immediately after an upsetting experience can help you manage the experience of anger.
When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are natural "feel-good" chemicals that make you feel more positive and happy.If you're unable to run or ride a bike, consider walking, stretching, and other easier forms of exercise.Exercise may also have a preventive effect.
A Yale study suggested that prolonged bouts of running before an upsetting experience may dampen the extremity of your emotional reaction.Even if you can't take time for a full exercise routine when you're angry, try take a few moments.
Leave the situation that's making you angry if you can, and shake out your limbs vigorously.
Even small physical distractions can help you feel better. -
Step 2: Practice controlled breathing.
Breathing deeply from your diaphragm (the large muscle at the base of your lungs that assists with breathing) can help soothe feelings of anger.Deep, controlled breathing slows your heartbeat, stabilizes blood pressure, and relaxes your body.Combine your breathing exercise with a mantra, or calming word or phrase, for added benefit.
Find a quiet place to relax.
Make yourself comfortable.
Lie down if you like, and loosen any tight or uncomfortable clothing.
Place your hand on your abdomen.
Inhale slowly through your nose.
Focus on filling your belly with air as you breathe in.
Let your abdomen relax as you inhale; you should be able to feel your stomach expand.
Hold this breath for a few seconds.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth.
Contract your abdominal muscles to push all the air out of your lungs.
Repeat this process at least ten times.
If you're still having trouble with deep breathing, buy a bottle of children's bubbles from the toy store.
Hold the bubble wand in front of your face and breathe slowly through the wand.
Focus on exhaling from your lower abdomen, squeezing your breath up and out.
Steady, even breathing will produce a flow of bubbles.
If your bubbles break or don't appear, alter your breathing until they do., Progressive muscle relaxation requires you to focus on tensing and relaxing particular muscle groups in your body, so it can help distract you from your feelings of anger.
Additionally, it is excellent for relieving anxiety and tension, which can also help alleviate angry feelings.
This exercise also works to help you sleep when your thoughts are out of control.Go to a quiet, comfortable place if possible, and find a seat.
Focus on a particular muscle group, such as the muscles in one hand.
While inhaling deeply and slowly, squeeze the muscles in that group as hard as you possibly can and maintain that tension for 5 seconds.
For example, tensing your hand muscles would involve forming a tight fist.
Focus on that group of muscles and try not to accidentally tense surrounding muscles.
Exhale and quickly release the tension in the muscle group you just tensed.
Focus on the experience of the tension leaving those muscles.
Allow yourself to relax for about 15 seconds, then move on to another muscle group.
Other muscle groups to try tensing and relaxing are the foot, lower leg, thigh, buttocks, stomach, chest, neck and shoulders, mouth, eyes, and forehead.
You can also start at your feet and work your way up your body, tensing each group of muscles.
As you release each muscle group, imagine the anger leaving your body as you feel the relaxation take over. , Focused activities may help channel your angry energy into a productive expression so that you can move past your immediate feelings of anger.
Research has shown that anger can even temporarily enhance brainstorming and creative thinking.Engage your imagination and mindfully release your anger in a controlled, creative way.For example, find a private place to shake your body and imagine that you are literally shaking off your anger just like a dog shakes off water after a bath.
Another example could be writing down angry thoughts on a piece of paper and then slowly tearing the paper apart, imagining that you are also destroying your feelings of anger.
If you're artistic, try sketching or painting something that expresses how you feel.
Focus on moving your feelings out of yourself and into the artwork. , A stress-relief toy, such as a stress ball, can help in the immediate experience of anger.
Because they prompt you to squeeze and release a group of muscles, stress balls can give you some of the benefits of progressive muscle relaxation more immediately.
However, they are a stop-gap solution and should be coupled with other techniques for the best long-term results.It's much better to use a stress-relief toy than it is to release anger by punching, kicking, or throwing things.
Explosive actions like these can cause harm or damage, and they often increase your anger rather than help it., Silly humor can actually help defuse your anger.
A significant root cause of a lot of anger is the feeling that our own ideas about a situation or experience are always right and that things ought to go in the way we expect them to.
Using humor to approach and deconstruct these ideas can help calm you down and manage your anger.For example, the American Psychological Association recommends that, if you find yourself calling someone a derogatory name, you imagine it literally.
So, if you’re so angry at your boss that you call him a “douchebag,” imagine what it would look like if your boss literally were a douchebag, complete with suit and briefcase.
This type of humor may help you feel less tense.
Looking at silly or cute videos online can also help you lighten your mood.
Humans are biologically programmed to find things such as large-eyed puppies and tiny fat babies adorable, and we have a chemical reaction of happiness to seeing these things.Avoid sarcastic or cruel humor, as this type of humor is likely to just make your anger worse and can also hurt others. , Listening to music can be an excellent distraction technique that can help you release your anger.
However, it’s important that you listen to calming music.
When you’re already feeling angry, music with aggressive beats or angry lyrics may actually make your negative feelings more intense.Find quiet, tranquilizing music to help soothe your anger.
Part of what makes you feel so "revved up" when you're angry is that your body has entered a "fight or flight" state of excitement.The British Academy of Sound Therapy has created a playlist of songs deemed "relaxing" by scientific study, including songs by Marconi Union ("Weightless"), Airstream ("Electra") and Enya ("Watermark")., Find a statement that is meaningful to you, and try focusing your attention on this statement as you repeat it.
You can even repeat a few statements to yourself.Here are a few you could try: “This situation is only temporary.” “I can make it through this.” “I might not like it, but it’s not going to kill me.” “I will keep my cool about this.” “This isn’t worth getting upset about.” -
Step 3: Practice progressive muscle relaxation.
-
Step 4: Perform an anger release ceremony.
-
Step 5: Use a stress-relief toy.
-
Step 6: Find something funny or silly.
-
Step 7: Listen to calming music.
-
Step 8: Repeat self-calming statements.
Detailed Guide
When you’re feeling angry, doing some moderate exercise could help you.
A study by the University of Georgia suggests that moderate exercise (such as running or riding a bike) during or immediately after an upsetting experience can help you manage the experience of anger.
When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are natural "feel-good" chemicals that make you feel more positive and happy.If you're unable to run or ride a bike, consider walking, stretching, and other easier forms of exercise.Exercise may also have a preventive effect.
A Yale study suggested that prolonged bouts of running before an upsetting experience may dampen the extremity of your emotional reaction.Even if you can't take time for a full exercise routine when you're angry, try take a few moments.
Leave the situation that's making you angry if you can, and shake out your limbs vigorously.
Even small physical distractions can help you feel better.
Breathing deeply from your diaphragm (the large muscle at the base of your lungs that assists with breathing) can help soothe feelings of anger.Deep, controlled breathing slows your heartbeat, stabilizes blood pressure, and relaxes your body.Combine your breathing exercise with a mantra, or calming word or phrase, for added benefit.
Find a quiet place to relax.
Make yourself comfortable.
Lie down if you like, and loosen any tight or uncomfortable clothing.
Place your hand on your abdomen.
Inhale slowly through your nose.
Focus on filling your belly with air as you breathe in.
Let your abdomen relax as you inhale; you should be able to feel your stomach expand.
Hold this breath for a few seconds.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth.
Contract your abdominal muscles to push all the air out of your lungs.
Repeat this process at least ten times.
If you're still having trouble with deep breathing, buy a bottle of children's bubbles from the toy store.
Hold the bubble wand in front of your face and breathe slowly through the wand.
Focus on exhaling from your lower abdomen, squeezing your breath up and out.
Steady, even breathing will produce a flow of bubbles.
If your bubbles break or don't appear, alter your breathing until they do., Progressive muscle relaxation requires you to focus on tensing and relaxing particular muscle groups in your body, so it can help distract you from your feelings of anger.
Additionally, it is excellent for relieving anxiety and tension, which can also help alleviate angry feelings.
This exercise also works to help you sleep when your thoughts are out of control.Go to a quiet, comfortable place if possible, and find a seat.
Focus on a particular muscle group, such as the muscles in one hand.
While inhaling deeply and slowly, squeeze the muscles in that group as hard as you possibly can and maintain that tension for 5 seconds.
For example, tensing your hand muscles would involve forming a tight fist.
Focus on that group of muscles and try not to accidentally tense surrounding muscles.
Exhale and quickly release the tension in the muscle group you just tensed.
Focus on the experience of the tension leaving those muscles.
Allow yourself to relax for about 15 seconds, then move on to another muscle group.
Other muscle groups to try tensing and relaxing are the foot, lower leg, thigh, buttocks, stomach, chest, neck and shoulders, mouth, eyes, and forehead.
You can also start at your feet and work your way up your body, tensing each group of muscles.
As you release each muscle group, imagine the anger leaving your body as you feel the relaxation take over. , Focused activities may help channel your angry energy into a productive expression so that you can move past your immediate feelings of anger.
Research has shown that anger can even temporarily enhance brainstorming and creative thinking.Engage your imagination and mindfully release your anger in a controlled, creative way.For example, find a private place to shake your body and imagine that you are literally shaking off your anger just like a dog shakes off water after a bath.
Another example could be writing down angry thoughts on a piece of paper and then slowly tearing the paper apart, imagining that you are also destroying your feelings of anger.
If you're artistic, try sketching or painting something that expresses how you feel.
Focus on moving your feelings out of yourself and into the artwork. , A stress-relief toy, such as a stress ball, can help in the immediate experience of anger.
Because they prompt you to squeeze and release a group of muscles, stress balls can give you some of the benefits of progressive muscle relaxation more immediately.
However, they are a stop-gap solution and should be coupled with other techniques for the best long-term results.It's much better to use a stress-relief toy than it is to release anger by punching, kicking, or throwing things.
Explosive actions like these can cause harm or damage, and they often increase your anger rather than help it., Silly humor can actually help defuse your anger.
A significant root cause of a lot of anger is the feeling that our own ideas about a situation or experience are always right and that things ought to go in the way we expect them to.
Using humor to approach and deconstruct these ideas can help calm you down and manage your anger.For example, the American Psychological Association recommends that, if you find yourself calling someone a derogatory name, you imagine it literally.
So, if you’re so angry at your boss that you call him a “douchebag,” imagine what it would look like if your boss literally were a douchebag, complete with suit and briefcase.
This type of humor may help you feel less tense.
Looking at silly or cute videos online can also help you lighten your mood.
Humans are biologically programmed to find things such as large-eyed puppies and tiny fat babies adorable, and we have a chemical reaction of happiness to seeing these things.Avoid sarcastic or cruel humor, as this type of humor is likely to just make your anger worse and can also hurt others. , Listening to music can be an excellent distraction technique that can help you release your anger.
However, it’s important that you listen to calming music.
When you’re already feeling angry, music with aggressive beats or angry lyrics may actually make your negative feelings more intense.Find quiet, tranquilizing music to help soothe your anger.
Part of what makes you feel so "revved up" when you're angry is that your body has entered a "fight or flight" state of excitement.The British Academy of Sound Therapy has created a playlist of songs deemed "relaxing" by scientific study, including songs by Marconi Union ("Weightless"), Airstream ("Electra") and Enya ("Watermark")., Find a statement that is meaningful to you, and try focusing your attention on this statement as you repeat it.
You can even repeat a few statements to yourself.Here are a few you could try: “This situation is only temporary.” “I can make it through this.” “I might not like it, but it’s not going to kill me.” “I will keep my cool about this.” “This isn’t worth getting upset about.”
About the Author
Olivia Allen
A passionate writer with expertise in hobbies topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: