When you’re angry or frustrated, do you feel as though you can’t think straight? Anger is a powerful emotion that activates the body’s stress response, which causes increased blood pressure, tightened muscles, and adrenaline spikes that release the stress hormone cortisol. These symptoms can spiral into a negative cycle making us feel as though we cannot control our thoughts or emotions. One of the most effective ways to combat these feelings is through meditation. Meditation is a great tool to improve our emotional well-being and manage anger because it disrupts the stress cycle and forces your mind to focus on one thing.
Meditation is a useful tool for anger management because it counteracts the body’s stress response and forces your mind to remain at ease. By focusing your mind on a specific thought or practicing mindfulness, you can transition into a calm, stable state of mind. Meditation is also beneficial in promoting self-awareness with various visualization and mindfulness techniques.
Multiple studies have found an undeniable connection between mindfulness and emotional regulation. One study, in particular, observed that an eight-week program of mindfulness and stress reduction led to “decreases in fear of emotions, suppression of anger, aggressive anger expression, worry, and difficulties regulating emotions” (Robins et al., 2012). Meditation offers a variety of other benefits which can help you to better cope with the emotional stress that anger and frustration can cause. These benefits include, but are not limited to:
1. Reducing anxiety and stress.
2. Can help you to increase self-awareness.
3. Promoting emotional awareness of the people around you.
4. Enabling you to set aside emotions to manage the situation when feelings of anger or frustration arise.
5. Reducing negative emotions and thoughts.
6. Improving your ability to self-control angry feelings with increased patience.
Want to incorporate meditation into your daily life? Check out Caravan’s 5 Min Meditation for Anger to help you become more calm and mindful in your daily life.
References:
Care, United We. “How Does Meditation Help to Calm Anger?” United We Care | A Super App for Mental Wellness, 24 May 2022, https://www.unitedwecare.com/how-does-meditation-help-to-calm-anger/.
“Meditation for Anger.” Headspace,
Robins, C.J., Keng, S.-L., Ekblad, A.G. and Brantley, J.G. (2012), Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on emotional experience and expression: a randomized controlled trial. J. Clin. Psychol., 68: 117-131. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20857