Six Ways to Work with Anger & Frustration

nikkidavis17
May 30, 2023
2 min read

*If you are suffering from severe distress please seek the counsel of a doctor or licensed therapist*

Big emotions- we all have them and they can really suck! And with all the crazy stuff going on in the world it can be hard to avoid them. You’re not alone.

It’s easy to get caught up in the negative aspects of our emotions. But ALL our emotions are healthy and can reveal a deeper truth about ourselves.

So, let’s talk about anger and frustration.

Our anger and frustration emerge because we care deeply about our world.

Here are 6 ways to move from anger and frustration to self-compassion and patience:

1. Breathe (slow, smooth breaths through your nose). Take a deep breath and before releasing it, hold your breath for a few seconds, exhale very slowly, hold your breath again before the next inhale. With each breath, see the part of yourself that cares, give that part of yourself a hug, see how much you care, then send that care and love straight to yourself.

2. Give yourself permission to feel your anger or frustration. Negative emotions keep your mind trapped if you don’t give yourself permission to have them and feel them. As children many of us were trained that negative emotions are bad or dangerous. Maybe you were told they make other people uncomfortable so you hid them away. But you are not responsible for how other people feel or deal with their emotions and trying to manage theirs only hurts you.

3. Move your body- go for a walk, run, weed your garden, or jump on a trampoline!

4. Get creative- Channel your inner Jackson Pollock! Grab a canvas and some paint, take them outside, and make a splash!

5. Massage some acupuncture points- Here are my favorite acupressure points for dealing with anger and frustration (be sure to rub each point on both the right and left hands):

Buddha’s Triangle

*finding Inner Gate

6. Pause. Give yourself a moment, have some tea. I love drinking tea whenever I’m feeling big emotions because tea forces me to stop everything else, focus on making the tea, and then waiting for it to get to the right temperature… essentially drinking tea forces me to be in the moment. My favorite tea to drink when anger and frustration runs high is Republic of Tea’s Calm and Clarity.

Affirmation: “I use my passion to create peace for myself”