Have you ever been so angry that you said things you did not mean? Or broke things that you did not mean to throw? Everyone has experienced a moment where they just had enough of something whether it’s getting heated over a video game, a disagreement with someone, or little things that kept happening to them over the course of the day. Anger is a powerful emotion that often gets in the way of our rationality, but you can calm your anger in less than a minute.
How does anger affect us?
When we are truly angry, the brain takes blood away from our gut and towards the muscles. Our heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration increase activating our ‘fight or flight’ response. The adrenal glands flood our body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. If uncontrolled, we can cause serious harm to the people or objects around us, including yourself.
The technique I’m about to teach you to calm your anger is something I came up with a few years ago and it has worked for me every time since then. It combines tension release and grounding yourself which you can do anywhere.
The Buddhist’s Teapot Technique
Steps:
1. Tighten up all your muscles as hard as you can for 10 seconds. You can also yell as much as you want during this time.
– Focus on tensing all your muscles from your feet to the top of your head. Bring yourself to your boiling point, but do not strain yourself to where it hurts.
2. Release all the built-up tension you created and imagine the anger flowing out of your body.
– Completing these first two steps, you have reduced your anger by half already. You can repeat the first two steps if you wish, but one time is generally enough.
3. While you are in this state of temporary relaxation, touch the tips of the thumb and index finger to each other and form a circle. This is known as a mudra.
– Use both hands or just one hand, it does not matter. You also do not have to use that specific hand gesture. You can perform any hand gesture you want like a peace sign, a fist, or the ILY sign.
4. Come up with a word, any word, and repeat it out loud.
– Doing this gives your mind two things you can focus on rather than refocusing on the issue that made you angry in the first place which we tend to do as humans.
5. When you feel that you have control over your emotional state and actions, you can stop.
Takeaway
Anger is an emotion that will never go away, but it can be tamed. Let me know what things calm you down when you are angry?