Anger that is expressed appropriately can help us to set proper limits and boundaries so that we can get along well with others, while having our needs met. In addition, anger can be a signal that something needs to change, whether it's ending a toxic relationship, looking for work that is more fulfiiling, or lessening some of the stressors that are currently present in our lives.

The key is to neither express anger inappropriately, nor suppress our anger and keep it bottled up inside.

This hub contains anger management tips, techniques, and resources that will give help you to develop strategies for controlling your anger so that you can respond to any anger-producing situation in a calm manner that will allow you to resolve the situation, instead of either ignoring it or making it worse.

1. Take a time out. While you're in an emotionally-charged state it will difficult for you to be mindful about you're saying and how you're reacting to any given situation. If you can, remove yourself from the situation that is making you angry until you can calm down. This can mean going for a walk, taking a bathroom break and splashing some water on your face, or stepping into the next room for a couple of minutes. If you can't leave, try counting down from ten to one--or even from one hundred to one--before you respond.
   
2. Do something physically exerting. Physical activity is a great way to release the excess energy generated by anger. Go for a jog, go swimming, challenge a friend to a tennis match, and so on.
3. Create a trigger that helps you to relax. The Silva Life System, the world's most popular meditation program, teaches a trigger called "the three finger technique". Basically, you program yourself during a meditation session so that every time you put together the fist three fingers of either hand, your body knows that it needs to relax. Whenever you feel yourself getting stressed and angry over a situation, you simply use the three-finger technique to send a message to your body to interrupt the fight-flight mechanism and calm down.
4. Revisit your childhood memories. Think back to how you watched others respond to anger when you were a child. Ask yourself if, as an adult, you’re expressing anger in the same way in which you watched grown-ups deal with anger during your childhood. Now question those techniques and ask yourself if they’re the best way to respond to anger-producing situations.
5. Practice assertiveness. A lot of people don’t know how to express their needs effectively, which means that others won't be able to help them get their needs met. Assertiveness techniques include focusing on the issue that is bothering you, expressing how it is affecting you without becoming defensive or attacking the other person, and describing what you would like from the situation.

The Sedona Method will help you to lessen the intensity of anger caused by any given situation in which you feel that you've been treated wrongly, taken advantage of, or otherwise treated unfairly in some way.

Anger can cloud your judgement, which means that it can lead you to respond to a situation in a way that does not serve your best interests. Releasing anger is not about pretending that nothing is wrong. It's about lessening the emotional charge of any given situation so that you can see things clearly and act in a way that will best serve your interests.

The Sedona Method is very simple, but incredibly powerful and effective. The course goes into much more detail, but it basically involves asking yourself the following three questions:

• Can I let go of this?
• Will I let go of this?
• If so, when?

Here are some more things you can do to help you get your anger under control:

1. Don't ascribe motives to the person who's making you angry. Accept that you do not know the other person’s intent.

2. Stop taking things personally. Every time a person does or says anything, it's simply a reflection of who they are. Remember Eleanor Roosevelt's admonishment: "No one can insult you without your consent."

3. Try to separate the people from the problem. If you're angry with your spouse because you feel that they're not doing their share of the housework, realize that you're having a problem with something they're doing (or not doing), not with who they are as a person.

4. Laugh: laughter releases feel-good hormones.

5. Talk to a friend about the situation.

6. Make sure that you're getting enough sleep. People who aren't well rested are more likely to over-react to situations.

7. Repeat a mantra to help you relax. Your mantra can be anything that calms you down, such as the following: "Relax"; "Peace"; "Love"; and so on.

8. Try the breathing exercise that Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh is famous for: breathe in while reciting: “Breathing in I calm my body”, then breathe out while saying “Breathing out I smile.”

9. Learn to forgive. There's a great article on forgiveness on the Mayo Clinic web site which explains that researchers have been studying the effects of being unforgiving and being forgiving. Evidence is mounting that holding on to grudges and bitterness results in long-term health problems. The article also explains that forgiving is not the equivalent of forgetting. You can read the article here.

10.  If anger has taken control over your life, seek professional help.