Calm down dears... five ways to stop being so ANGRY

Our expert’s tips on how to control your rages – and save yourself from a heart attack

Do you get angry? I don’t mean from time to time (everyone does – it’s normal). But really cross, and a lot? Managing these feelings is important, as anger has a raft of health dangers from elevating blood pressure and risk of heart attacks to depression and anxiety. This is the anger management programme my colleagues and I deliver – with fantastic results.

1 WHEN DO YOU GET ANGRY? Monitor your anger by keeping a diary of what made you angry, what response you noticed in your body and how you reacted. Try to write one line each day. Write down even small things getting under your skin, as well as major bust-ups. Do you see any patterns?

2 WHAT MAKES YOU MORE LIKELY TO LOSE IT? Jot down a list of the sorts of situations where you lose your temper. In what situations would you never or very rarely lose your temper? In situations where you do feel angry, what happens? Think of recent examples. What happened afterwards? Lack of sleep, hunger, pain and other ill health can also exacerbate – or ‘disinhibit’ – anger, as can being put under pressure. Alcohol, too, may be a trigger. Write down how much control you have over such factors.

3 DON’T JUST BOTTLE IT UP Use this mindfulness exercise to manage the uncomfortable feeling you get when things are not to your satisfaction: bring yourself into the

4 NOTICE EARLY WARNING SIGNS The key to taking charge of your anger reaction is picking up early-warning signs such as heart-rate speeding up, rapid and shallow breathing, muscle tensing, tunnel vision and failing to see the bigger picture.

Practise this exercise: breathe for a count of one, breathe out for a count of two. Have a short rest before breathing in again. Focus on relaxing your muscles on the out breath.

5 SWITCH OFF ‘WIND-UP’ THINKING Letting go of your common ‘wind-up’ thoughts and substituting different ways of thinking will enable you to approach the future more calmly. If you see bad driving, you might think: ‘People who drive like that ought not to be allowed on the road.’ An alternative thought would be: ‘At least I have the skills to avoid the worst.’

How To Deal With Anger, by Isabel Clarke, €17.50.