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Anger ManagementTake care of yourself emotionally.  If you are in a good emotional state you will be less likely to get angry.  If you are emotionally bankrupt, just about anything will set your anger off.

Some ways to improve your emotional health:

  • Cultivate emotional supports
  • Spend time serving others
  • Rest
  • Laugh
  • Create healthy personal boundaries for yourself
  • Picture a better future
  • Get a pet
  • Practice saying thanks

Leave Margin in Your Time and Finances

If you are too busy too busy or money is too tight, you will be much more likely to snap.  To help with this, schedule appointments so there is time in-between.  Don’t give yourself too much to do.  Learn to say no.  Give yourself wiggle room in your financial budget and your calendar.  Build up savings so that month to month money pressures are not pressing.

Create healthy boundaries for yourself and your children

Enforce them consistently, without getting angry.  Stay away from lectures and threats.

Setting limits effectively will increase the chance that you will keep your cool.  Poor limits will cause you to get frustrated more easily.

Exercise

Running, walking, lifting weights, cardio.  Getting consistent exercise will help release tension and help you lengthen your fuse.  This is a great strategy that has a tone of benefits.

Find someone to talk to

When you are stressed and upset, it often helps just to have someone to talk to and share what is going on.  Keeping it all inside will build up your fuse.

There are many other long term strategies that you can use to help lengthen your fuse, but the main lesson for anger management is this: If you are taking care of your fuse, there is a much better chance that you will be able to control your anger.

ON the flip side, if you are not taking care of your fuse, you will much more likely to get angry  and do stupid things because of your anger.  So do whatever you can today to lengthen your anger fuse.

Excerpts from “Take Control of Your Anger: A Step-by-Step Guide to Anger Management” by Michael Ballard, MA, NCC, LPc

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I am an anger management counselor at Front Range Counseling Center, an outpatient clinic in Denver that helps individuals and couples with anger problems. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado. I provide counseling services for individuals, couples, and families who struggle with anger. I developed The ASCEND Method® for anger management, and have used this method with men and women, adults, teens, and children. I have also authored various workbooks, training manuals, and articles and has been published in The Washington Post.

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