5 Steps To Coping With Anger

By: ​Kristen Sohlman, MACP RP

​A          Awareness: Become aware of your feelings, emotional flooding, as well as feelings of anger.  Become aware that you feel how you feel, and this is not wrong.  Your feelings of anger are healthy and normal.

B          Breathing: Do something about your anger.  Take deep breaths to calm the mind and body when it is in a fight and flight mode.  Calming your physical self can help to calm your mind and emotions when they are flooding.

C          Count: Count while breathing in and count when releasing your breath.  Pause before breathing in and repeat.  This will help you to slow down and pace of your breathing.

D          Distance: If you are still feeling emotionally flooded or angry make some distance between you and the person or situation that made you angry.  Go for a walk or engage in self-care.
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E          Express Yourself: Now that you are feeling a little less angry, and hopefully calmer and in more control of your emotions, you can now circle back in order to process your feelings of anger.  Talk yourself through what you experienced.  Talk about or process your feelings of anger with a safe support, or maybe even circle back to having a conversation with the person you were angry with.