These homework suggestions will help you to reduce feeling angry and having angry outbursts towards those close to you. With any change in behaviour it takes baby steps. Reducing your everyday base levels of irritation is a good way to start. When we get irritated or angry our BP rises and our muscles tense and at the same time our body creates glucocorticoids (stress hormones) which damage our genes, this is ok for the body if it happens every now and then and not too often. If it happens frequently it can start to affect your physical health with aches and pains in the body, poor digestion, chest pains and aging. Also the more our body creates this stress response, the harder it is to calm down when faced with everyday triggers.

The best way to reduce this inflammation is to develop different response behaviours which also include relaxation techniques. This will then create balancing anti stress hormones a bit like putting out the low embers of a fire.

Anger is a secondary emotion coming from a place of fear or pain. If we feel it, we can heal it. Anger is caused by the way we react to our unique emotional, cognitive and physical triggers.

Homework suggestions below: Response Behaviours and Relaxation Techniques

1. Awfulising: this is when you imagine the worst possible outcome of any scenario. An example would be thinking: I bet (someone you know) is going to be late on purpose to upset me and then the whole evening will be ruined.

Stop awfulising, become aware every time you awfulise a person, event, situation etc and try to create in your thoughts an alternative not awful outcome. You can jot down in a notebook every time you have stopped awfulising.

2. Being down on yourself: this is when you put yourself down, are too hard on yourself, or too over critical. An example could be if you trip or break something you could get very upset with yourself.

Stop being down on yourself. Jot down in a notebook every time you have stopped being down on yourself.

3. Practice Meditation: this is something you can try to do for at least 10 minutes per day or longer if you are able. Meditation repairs damaged genes and is anti aging.

Look on YouTube and find a good guided meditation that resonates with you. Create a nice relaxing space to practice without interruption. Create a routine to include this so that it becomes an enjoyable part of your day rather than an annoyance.

Thank you from Tanya 😌