How to release anger in a healthy and appropriate way: 4 tips

Different ways to give vent to that discomfort that can lead to hostility.

Anger is a psychological state that, although it is usually seen as something negative, is completely natural. Throughout a lifetime, we will experience it several times, and that is not in itself a bad thing. The key to assessing whether our relationship with anger is healthy or not is to see to what extent it affects us, and whether it significantly harms us or the people around us.

Knowing how to release anger in a healthy way is one of the most important factors when it comes to not letting it when it comes to not letting this emotion dominate us and make us fall into destructive or self-destructive dynamics.

Releasing anger in a controlled and healthy way: 6 tips

For a long time, we have fallen into a fundamental error when it comes to understanding what anger is. This trap consists in believing that this emotion is bad because it makes us have a bad time and can lead us to attack others. What is the problem with this view of things? Anger does not appear spontaneously within oneself: It arises as a consequence of an interaction between the individual and the environment..

Let's think for a moment about social minorities that were once legally discriminated against and are no longer so. In that cruel past, the frustration and powerlessness of feeling that they had fewer rights often generated rage, and no one would think that it was that feeling that was the problem, but rather the social context.

Something similar happens when it comes to understanding why it is good to release anger in a controlled way. When we do this, we are not atoning for any sin, but rather actively acting to give vent to an emotion that may or may not be justified that may or may not be justified, but is natural and ultimately has not appeared because we have freely decided to do so. With all of the above in mind, let's look at some basic tips on how to release anger.

1. Avoid noisy or stressful places and look for a quiet place.

This first step is to avoid greater evils, since in environments with many stimuli, it is easy to find even more reasons to be angry. To this we must add that with anger running through our body we tend to be more prone to see reasons to be angry in events or situations that in another situation would not make us feel that hostility. This is a bias that can lead us to worsen the problem.

Therefore, it never hurts to to keep in mind quiet places where we can be alone, especially in anticipation of a dialogue.especially in anticipation of a dialogue that may infuriate us.

2. Put pauses in arguments

Knowing how to manage a discussion also includes the ability to know how to release anger appropriately in case this emotion appears. When we are engaged in a dialogue, however, this task includes both the release of a certain amount of anger (it cannot be much, since the purpose of the dialogue is another one) and the prevention of its further accumulation.. To do this, you can do two things: avoid raising your tone of voice, and make your speech somewhat leisurely.

The former may be counter-intuitive, since shouting is usually associated with the release of discomfort, but in the context of a dialogue this is not the case, since shouting would only make us assimilate that we are already in a verbal fight, causing the other person to react in the same way.

Speaking a little more slowly serves a similar function, giving us an excuse to monitor our pace of speech.We should avoid trying to overwhelm the other person and dominate the conversation in this way. If you let time pass and do not increase the reasons to feel angry, this anger that was beginning to be a problem will fade by itself without causing significant problems, not having reached a critical point and, on the other hand, having turned the dialogue into a battle.

3. Play sports

If you have time and it is not a very intense feeling of anger that appeared suddenly, but you have been feeling it for several minutes, consider the possibility of using this state of alertness and tension in something productive. For example, in doing sport. The sport presents us with the need to release energy by attending to a very clear objective that requires our full attention, so it is an excellent way to let the anger go by itself.

If you feel a lot of anger, perhaps a competitive sport is not the best option. In this case, focus on individual exercises, such as doing push-ups, running in the park, etc.

4. Is there a problem with video games?

Since practically their beginnings, video games have been unjustly criminalized, being accused of promoting violence. Paradoxically, this is not only not true, but it has been seen that in certain cases, playing this form of entertainment can be a way to channeling anger without harming anyone.. Immersing ourselves in a fantasy world and fulfilling objectives allows us to release energy in a controlled environment.