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In a world filled with noise, chaos and confusion, it can be hard to find a reprieve from the madness.
But believe it or not, deep serenity is within reach if you are willing to put in the effort needed to transform your environment and state of mind.
This article will give you 17 strategies that have been known to lead individuals toward better psychological health.
Whether looking for moments of peace at home or away from home, these proven tactics will provide an escape from today’s darkness into your true inner light.
#1. Go For a Walk
The simplest, yet most effective option out there is to go for a walk.
It’s amazing what a 20 minute walk will do for your mood.
Don’t believe me?
For for a daily walk for a week and see how it changes your outlook.
#2. Break Something (That Won’t Hurt You Or Anyone Else)
The desire to break something can be strong when you’re enraged. While others will try to avoid it, you should try it out to see how it feels.
Granted, you shouldn’t be breaking something important like a car window or the dishes in your house.
Instead, look for things you could break that won’t hurt you.
One person recommended breaking ice cubes, which will easily melt and won’t damage your hands. Feel free to get creative and find something that works for your anger.
#3. Do Something Productive
A lot of people clean when they get angry.
After all, it’s a physically-involved task that gives you plenty of time to direct your energy into something else while also giving you time to think about how you’re feeling and reacting.
Some people may even find it quite meditative.
Look for a task that grounds you and helps you avoid your negative feelings long enough to cool down or even understand why you feel the way you feel.
You may even wish to switch it up occasionally so that you’re not bored of engaging in the same task when anger strikes.
#4. Isolation And Music
Isolation is a very popular response, and for a good reason.
When we’re isolated, we can’t take the course of action we want.
For many feeling rage, this is blowing up and going off on whatever or whoever is the cause of our anger.
Isolating yourself means you must either figure out how to deal with it or stew until some has finally disappeared.
Many people also pair this isolation with listening to their favorite music. This helps them calm down faster so they can get back to doing whatever they were doing before.
#5. Cry
When you’re angry, you should seek a way to release those feelings.
For some, the most effective method is crying.
Many consider anger a secondary emotion, meaning another emotion is lying just underneath the surface.
For many, this could be hurt. By recognizing that hurt and crying to let it out, you might feel better and be in a better place to process the situation.
Even though crying might not be something everyone likes to express, it’s proven helpful.
#6. Find A Way To Physically Channel Your Anger
Anger is an emotional response to something that’s happening outside of us.
However, using our bodies can be an excellent way to eliminate some of that anger so that we don’t go off when we don’t want to.
There are plenty of simple exercises out there you can incorporate into your list of coping mechanisms.
This includes holding onto a pole while clenching and unclenching rhythmically, clenching and unclenching your hands and feet, and beyond.
This helps you put the energy elsewhere and ground yourself.
#7. Get Yourself A Punching Bag
Speaking of physical outlets, you can always choose one more effective for eliminating anger.
One great solution is to get yourself your own punching bag.
Some people may choose an inflatable one they can knock around recklessly.
Others may want something sturdier, like a weight bag or a human-looking punching bag.
Of course, this may not be for everyone. You can always try walking or running if this doesn’t sound like the right fit for you.
#8. Take A Cold Shower
Mediation and deep breathing are valuable because they bring us back into our bodies and the present.
But sometimes you need something a little more extreme.
One method that people use is taking a cold shower.
The cold water shocks your body and puts you in a calmer state where you aren’t thinking about anything other than the cold water falling on you.
It may not be the most exciting exercise, but the proof is in the pudding with this one!
#9. Journal Your Feelings Out For Both In-Moment Support And Retrospect
Journaling is one of the most popular mental health tools in your toolkit. Journaling offers two distinct benefits.
First, it allows you to think about how you feel so that you can get it down on paper. Because of the time it takes to journal, this will likely give you plenty of time to calm down and reflect.
Of course, it serves another purpose, helping you reflect on what you’re angry about in the future.
If you ever run into the same situation, you can return to your older entries and figure out how you dealt with it.
Was it effective? If not, what could you do differently this time?
#10. Do Absolutely Nothing And Walk Away
Being angry often triggers some type of reaction. But the reality is that not every situation demands a response.
One of the best things you can do to calm down is to do nothing and walk away from whatever makes you angry.
This makes it so that you don’t snap and say or do something you can’t take back.
Of course, some people won’t like it when you walk away.
If this happens, explain to them that walking away is the best action for you and that it makes it easier for you to talk through things and make better choices after you’ve had time to cool down.
#11. Think of How Someone Else Who Can’t Control Their Rage Makes You Feel
Anger is often a learned behavior. We pick it up when we see how people like our parents react to others or situations.
The problem? Even if we’ve seen this behavior all of our lives, we may still exhibit it ourselves at the end of the day.
One deterrent people have found is to think about how the anger of others has impacted them.
Did that anger make them anxious? Did it make their lives worse? Does that anger impact how they view life now?
Then, take those negative feelings and use them to prevent you from becoming overly angry.
#12. Learn Some Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing exercises work wonders for everything from anxiety to anger.
The key here is to take long deep breaths in and take long deep breaths out. Some people may count to 10 while doing so or even have a countdown when releasing their breath.
You can even take a moment to pause in between if you feel as though you’re hyperventilating or highly wound up because of your anger.
There are plenty of these exercises out there, and they may even incorporate other moves to help you get more out of your breathing and calm down faster.
#13. Talk Quietly To Diffuse The Situation
You don’t have to be the first person to go off to be angry. Sometimes, how others treat us or their getting angry and going off triggers us and causes us to take action.
One solution is to talk to them gently and quietly. This makes it so that they’re forced to respond in the same manner, and it can keep you calm by preventing you from blowing up.
Sometimes, you’ve already reached that point and can’t return. But this tip can be quite helpful if you can recognize the problem before it happens.
#14. Try Out An Exercise Like Meditation
Meditation is growing in popularity, and for a good reason.
Meditation, specifically mindfulness meditation, is designed to help you slow your thoughts, come into your body, and remember that life is what you make of it.
Additionally, meditation is something that you can do anywhere and for any length of time.
Getting started is as simple as closing your eyes, checking in with your body, and becoming aware of your breathing.
However, if you need a little assistance when starting a new exercise, plenty of guided meditations are out there to help you get started.
#15. Remind Yourself That Other People Are Human And Make Mistakes
Life is complicated, and not everything will go perfectly all the time.
Next time you’re angry, think about why and who triggered it. Then, remind yourself of a time you messed up.
How did others treat you? Did they treat you right, or should they have treated you differently?
After all, you’re just a human, and you make mistakes from time to time. Apply this line of thinking to whoever may have wronged you throughout the day.
Rarely is it rewarding to be angry and go off on someone who may be having a bad day or has made a mistake.
#16. Think About The Consequences Before Getting Angry
Every action has a consequence. Sometimes, these consequences are good. Other times, they have a negative impact on our lives.
It’s essential to think about what you will do when you’re angry and how it will affect you in the future.
For example, before you punch out that window, how much will it cost you to replace it? How much will a trip to the emergency room cost to get stitches and schedule follow-up appointments?
The examples aren’t always physical, however.
If you choose to blow up in this situation, can you continue maintaining your relationships? If so, how long do you think others will accept this behavior?
Remembering that your words and actions impact you can be a great way to calm down so that you’re not raging and getting into worse situations.
#17. Find Physical Work To Channel Your Energy Into
Anger gives us energy, and that energy shouldn’t go unused.
Although it will depend on your own skills and likes, there’s likely something you’d enjoy doing that would help you dissipate some of that negative energy.
For example, maybe you’ve wanted to tackle that weekend project you’ve always been saying you’d get to. Perhaps you have a group of friends you like to get together with so you can play your favorite sport.
See if you can find a physical outlet for your anger so that the energy is going somewhere rather than just sitting in you until it becomes too much of a problem to hold in.
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Jon Dulin is the passionate leader of Unfinished Success, a personal development website that inspires people to take control of their own lives and reach their full potential. His commitment to helping others achieve greatness shines through in everything he does. He’s an unstoppable force with lots of wisdom, creativity, and enthusiasm – all focused on helping others build a better future. Jon enjoys writing articles about productivity, goal setting, self-development, and mindset. He also uses quotes and affirmations to help motivate and inspire himself. You can learn more about him on his About page.