Like the Cranberries sang, Do you have to let it linger?
You’ve felt it before. The heat coming up your body. Your heart rate increases. You can feel it bubbling to the surface.
You’ve reached that anger tipping point.
There will always be situations at work and in life that bring out this feeling. We can’t control every situation or what someone else says or does.
But it’s usually not the anger itself that causes the biggest problem.
It’s what we do next.
Here are three things you can do when you feel yourself getting to that tipping point:
1.) Excuse yourself and get some fresh air
You don’t have to solve the situation right then. Remove yourself for a few minutes. Walk outside. Change your environment and give yourself time before you respond.
Five minutes away from a situation can prevent five days of dealing with something you said in five seconds.
2.) Find a grounding mechanism
Find something that brings you back to the present instead of allowing your mind to keep escalating the situation.
Take a few slow breaths. Go for a short walk. Pray. Put your feet on the ground and focus on what’s actually happening instead of everything you’re thinking about what happened.
Find what works for you and practice using it before you need it.
3.) Ask yourself what happens next
Before you respond, ask yourself:
“Is what I’m about to do going to make this situation better or worse?”
You can be angry and still make a good decision.
You can be frustrated and still choose your words.
You can disagree with someone without allowing a temporary emotion to create a permanent consequence.
Anger isn’t always something we can prevent.
But we can get better at deciding what happens after it shows up.
Don’t let a few seconds of anger make a decision that the calmer version of you wouldn’t make.
