How to Control Anger at Work

Anger is a complex, negative emotion. At work, the people we associate with are rarely of our choice. Therefore, you will have to deal with different types of people for various purposes related to work. It is only natural that there will be a few colleagues that you might not get along with. However, there is no choice but to interact with them.

Work related issues that usually spark off anger are job stress, unfair treatment at the time of promotion, or a much awaited raise, frequent criticism by your boss, your ideas not getting accepted, or rivalry with other colleagues.

Sometimes, personal problems also add to the frustration, causing a person to react to petty things at work. Relationship problems, divorce, financial problems, death in the family, or health problems are some issues that can make you irritated and angry.

There are several techniques to control your temper. When you feel agitated, start taking deep breaths and counting your breaths in the reverse order from ten to one.

Thus, the attention of your mind and body gets diverted from the issue that was bothering you. After finishing count from ten to one, you will find that your nerves have calmed down.

There is another method which will help you to relax the muscles that were tensed up when the anger sets in. Sit on a chair as soon as you start feeling irritated and try to relax by reciting words like 'stay cool' or 'just relax'. Though this may seem funny or childish, it really works.

Then close your eyes and relax each of your tensed muscles. Spread your fingers as much as you can to loosen up your arms muscles. Slightly open and close your mouth to ease your jaw muscles. Then stretch your legs forward and relax them.

In this way, you will be able to slacken all the muscles of your body that were stiffened up due to anger and stress. After all this, if you find that the anger is uncontrollable, then take a short break from work and listen to some soothing music. It is extremely useful in controlling bad moods.

If you are experiencing frequent outbursts of anger at work then it will not only earn you a bad reputation, but is also harmful for your health. Therefore, you have to take some steps to avoid this.

The first step of controlling anger at work is identifying the root cause. Keep a record of your outbursts. Against each of the events, mention the circumstances that led to it. This way, you can recognize the factors that make you angry. When similar situations arise in future, you can apply these techniques given to keep a check on the anger.

It has been observed that introverts get angry more frequently. This because they do not express their feelings and bottle up their emotions. One of the best methods of dealing with anger at work is to communicate about one's feelings. When you speak up and talk about your displeasure openly, you will not feel angry anymore.

Physical activities also help avoid anger. Make positive changes in your life that can help in better anger management. Every night get a good amount of sleep. Include physical exercises in your daily routine, which can bring down stress levels. Practicing yoga and meditation are two very popular relaxation techniques that can help you in stress management.

If you feel that all these measures fail to keep the anger at bay, you should avail the option of counseling. A psychologist or mental health professional will help you to change your thoughts and attitudes in order to tackle the problem of anger outbursts.