Dealing WITH anxiety and REDUCING STRESS

As we go about our lives, we’re constantly weighing up situations and deciding

what we think about them: good or bad, safe or unsafe etc. How we interpret a

situation influences how we feel about it. If we think a situation means ‘you are

in danger’, we feel afraid. If it means ‘you have been wronged’, we feel angry.

And these feelings determine how we react to the situation. We translate

meanings into feelings very fast. With anger, that speed sometimes means that

we react in ways we later regret.

How do our bodies respond to anger?

“My heart was racing,

I was physically tense,

I was gob smacked.”

Anger is an emotional state and aggression is just one of the ways that people

behave when they are angry. Aggressive behaviour can be physical or verbal and

gives the signal that someone intends to cause harm. It can mean people become

violent towards others or throw things. Aggression often takes over when people

act on their instinct to protect themselves or others.

When you feel the first surge of anger boiling up inside you, pause for

a moment. Think about what has made you angry, think about the

consequences of exploding in a rage and then choose how to respond.

HOW CAN WE CONTROL OUR ANGER?

1. Count to ten before you act.

2. Drop your shoulders and breathe deeply to help you relax – your instincts

 may be telling your body to get ready to fight, but your rational self can

 reverse this message by telling your body to chill out.

3. If you feel the urge to throw something or hit out, remove yourself from the

 situation and try taking it out on something soft like a cushion that you

 won’t damage and which won’t hurt you.

4.Try screaming if it won’t disturb people near you or scream into a pillow to

 release your tension.

5. Talk yourself down – imagine what your

calmest friend would say to you and give

yourself the same advice.

 6. Imagine yourself in a relaxing scene

.

7. Distract yourself or take yourself out of

the situation that made you angry - read a

magazine, do a crossword, listen to

soothing music, go for a walk.

8. Pour out how you feel in writing or redirect

your energy into another creative activity.

9. Off load to a friend who will help you get

perspective on the situation.

10. Work off your anger through exercise –  

                   

ANURADHA MALIK
TEACHER
THE MANN SCHOOL