How to Stop Anger When You are Angry and Can’t Think Clearly

If anger never begins to grow, you will never have to worry about slipping, expressing it, and causing injury to yourself and your loved ones.

One of the most effective ways to stop anger triggers is a well-rehearsed Anger Control Plan. An Anger Control Plan is an essential piece of your anger management strategy. With an Anger Control Plan, you decide in advance how best to respond to situations that, when they occur, tend to lead to destructive expressions of anger. Like a fire safety plan that can be designed and then rehearsed to be prepared should a fire break out, an Anger Control Plan should be ready for use when anger management is needed.

This plan puts numerous situation-specific strategies at your fingertips that are ready for immediate implementation. Besides constructing an Anger Control Plan, you need to rehearse it in your mind. You need to mentally practice exactly how you will put to use the strategies that will prevent anger and keep you calm.

Until you have a high level of self-control, I suggest that you review your Anger Control Plan each day. You can even turn your Anger Control Plan into a brief meditation by closing your eyes and imagining common events where you start to become angry, and then you apply an appropriate strategy as listed in your plan. Selecting the same time each day to review your plan is probably a good idea. Doing so will create a positive habit that will increase the likelihood of consistently doing this necessary mental exercise. Taking this mental rehearsal seriously will make a difference when you are confronted with a real event.

Your Anger Control Plan Will make the difference between expressing anger and staying calm. Rehearsing your Anger Control Plan will prepare you so you know what to do should you become angry, and most importantly, you will do it without having to think.

When you are angry, your thinking is impaired. Knowing what to do without thought is often your best strategy. An Anger Control Plan offers you the possibility of knowing the correct thing to do even when you are angry and your thinking is impaired.