We all get angry from time to time, it is a normal human emotion, but when your anger gets out of control and you find yourself flying off the handle too often or people are always pushing your buttons, maybe it’s time to find a better approach.

Here are some tips to practice to help control your anger:

Try deep breathing when you start to get upset, concentrate on your breath for a few minutes rather than focusing on what is making you angry.

Keep a diary of what makes you angry and track how often this occurs, what are the triggers?

Try relaxation techniques to stay at an even keel.

Try humor – it is difficult to stay angry when you see the humor in the situation.  Be careful that your “humor” is not sarcastic or passive aggressive.  This in not funny and is an expression of aggression.  Usually the sarcastic or passive aggressive person does not accept responsibility for his or herself, and projects the hostile attitude of the recipient as inappropriate, when it is actually well founded.

Mark Twain said, “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored, than to anything on which it is poured.”

If your anger is causing problems in your relationships, your job or health problems you may want to try psychotherapy, finding alternatives to anger and then substituting the alternative behavior to replace the anger.