Psychological Anger Management Techniques

Anger problems can result in isolation from relationships and problems with work. Many people with severe anger seek counseling from a qualified professional. The counselor should provide specific actions for the client to control the anger psychologically. Certain techniques will allow the client to diffuse the anger on a regular basis, thus improving her interactions with others.

Reconditioning

• Recalling a past incident that causes anger may help in reconditioning the brain toward the anger emotion, according to psychologytoday.com. The client should close her eyes and think upon a past incident that causes anger. Then she needs to identify the feeling associated with the anger, such as fear, sadness or hurt. Once the person identifies the deeper emotion, encourage her to imagine an image that causes her to feel valuable. As this practice continues, the tendency toward anger will diminish.

Counting to 10

• Counting to 10 before reacting will help diffuse anger, according to mayoclinic.com. If the person can begin to recognize the first reaction to anger and take a moment before reacting, this will provide the first step in managing anger for the long term. The person can either count to 10 in his head or out loud.

Problem Solving

• Many times anger results from problems in daily life, according to the American Psychological Association. Encourage the client to make a plan of action to react to anger in the future. The client should imagine future problems and write down positive ways to react to these problems.

Relaxation

• Encourage the client to practice deep breathing and relaxation. When the client starts to sense anger, he should close his eyes and breathe deeply. After that he should imagine himself in a place that he deems calm. The client can take this one step further by practicing yoga, according to mayoclinic.com.

Exercise

• The client should find an exercise that she enjoys in order to control emotions. Any type of physical activity can calm the brain and help in dealing with negative emotions, according to mayoclinic.com. Taking a walk or run will allow the client to deal with the anger while reducing stress.