20 Transformational Tips for Anger Management

    By:  Kimberly Swanson "Purpoz", PsyM, LPC

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Let’s face it, everyone gets angry at some point in their life. Anger is a natural emotion that occurs in certain situations. This particular emotion can have both positive and negative effects. An example of positive anger is when you get upset about failing an exam that you study harder to pass the second time around. The negative example of anger is getting into fights and injuring others.

During ancient times, anger was used as a form of survival. For instance, the hunter and gatherer during ancient times had to hunt for their food and often times fight to keep their food for their family and their tribe/clan. This is an example of survival and was instinctual and innate. However, we live in a modern world in which it has become more complex when it comes to the emotion of anger. There are certain times and places in which anger has to be managed and modified to fit and blend into normal society.

The following are 20 transformational tips for managing anger through a more holistic balanced approach that can be incorporated into everyday living.

1. Listen to nature
2. Listening to calming music
3. Meditation videos ( with music and nature)
4. Energy frequency vibrations
5. Affirmations (healing through words)
6. Perception means that everything from the outside comes from within.  If you want to make a change you need to change from within, in other words, everything is from inside and then projected into the world.
7. Analyze the environment (e.g. people in surroundings)
8. Focus on your triggers figure out what triggers you
9. What is causing your stress?
10. What are you eating (physically)? Bad food equals negative energy good food equals positive energy.
11. What are you saying (verbally)? Bad words equal negative energy good words equal positive energy.
12. Transform your energy (holistically)
13. Overcoming distorted mind (Mind clutter).
14. Taking things personally / letting go and releasing. Negative energy
15. Going too fast, need to slow down
16. Instead of doing what you hate, do what you love (work, hobbies, studies)
17. Tending to your inner child (past hurts)
18. Loving self
19. Self-care
20. Being balanced reaching a middle ground

Updated 03/16/2022

5 Ways to Control Racing Thoughts (Anxiety) and Reduce Their Occurrence

By: Kimberly Swanson, PsyM, LPC

                                                  Photo by Joice Kelly on Unsplash 

Do you often find yourself bombarded by racing thoughts? If so, you're not alone. Racing thoughts can be incredibly intrusive and overwhelming, but fortunately, there are various ways to control them. This blog post will discuss 5 of the best techniques for managing racing thoughts. If you put some of these strategies into practice, you should start to see a significant reduction in their occurrence. 

1. Focusing on the present and not too far ahead or what happened a long time ago. Individuals with racing thoughts are often based on an idea or notion that has not occurred and may never occur. Some people are hyper-focused on circumstances that have transpired or can't be changed. Individuals experiencing racing thoughts should be focusing on the here and now. These people should Affirm that "I won't be anxious about what has transpired, or will take place in the future; I'll fixate on things I can change," which is an excellent place to start. Mindfulness meditation is a great way to practice in the here and now. 

 2. Breathing Exercise - To reduce the panic responses (increased heart and breathing rates), inhale and take deep breaths. Panic Responses usually occur when the mind begins to race. According to Mental Health America (MHA) (2022) [1], it is recommended to slow down; taking deep breaths can lower stress and promotes calmness. The following strategy might help. Try: breathing in slowly while counting to five holding the breath for a few seconds, breathing out while counting to five. A person can practice deep breathing anytime, without any specialized training. 

 3. Positive Thinking and Rationalization - Think about positive things and rationalize your thoughts. Unfortunately, racing thoughts can lead you to a rabbit hole of anxiety and negative thinking. A person can break the perpetual cycle of pessimism by changing their behavior and mindset through a more positive outlook. Instead of thinking of the worse outcome, think of the brighter side of things. For instance, you were about to go to the store, and your car would not crank. You start to become anxious and think the worse, like what if it cost a fortune to get your car fixed even though, more than likely, you left your light on your car by accident. Instead, think positive and be thankful that you were at home, not out somewhere when your car did not crank. Then you will start to realize how fortunate you were that things are not as bad as they may seem. 

4. Mantras and Affirmation - Use mantras According to an older article in the International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, mantras, or positive self-statements, are simple words or phrases that a person can repeat to calm their mind. Some people find them useful in times of panic and racing thoughts. Repeating phrases such as, "I can get through this," or "It will be okay," might help. Mantras allow the mind to focus on one simple positive or encouraging thought. This turns the mind away from its racing thoughts. 

5. Meditation - Studies have shed more light on understanding the process and outcomes of applied meditation. Doing meditative exercises are linked to changes in the brain's makeup [2–5], as well as mental health [6–10], and improves focus [11, 12], Increase balanced emotions [13–15], slows down aging [16–18], enhance "academic performance" [19, 20], and other results. Substantial proven data supports that meditation has popularized the practice of various forms of meditational exercises.

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The following is how meditation is being utilized within modern-day society: 

• Psychological practices (eg. mental health facilities or clinics) [21–23]. 
• Educational programs [24]. 
• Businesses [24]. 
• Prison system [24], 
• Military [24], 
• Substance abuse rehab centers [24], 
• Medical clinics (health and wellness) [24]. 

                        

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Conclusion 

Sometimes people have racing thoughts symptoms due to traumatic circumstances, and it can also to a sign of a possible medical issue. Multiple health issues can cause racing thoughts and anxiety, requiring a medical doctor or mental health professional advice. If a person is experiencing racing thoughts (worry/stress) without a cause for the symptoms for more than two weeks, they may seek medical attention [25]. 

Reference

 

1. Mental Health America (2022). My Mind is Racing! Retrieved from https://screening.mhanational.org/content/my-mind-racing/. 

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