• healing-anger
    11
    Hi, I am new here.
    Any tips and advice for managing anger? I know briefly about Stoicism, can anybody elaborate?
    Thank you
  • Philosophim
    2.6k
    Breath in through the nose...scream out through the mouth.

    Seriously though, that's more psychology.
    https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control

    If you have something more specific in mind that isn't covered by psychology, feel free to follow up.
  • god must be atheist
    5.1k
    I can't pretty well advocate violence on this site, as it is against site rules. But violent outbursts, verbal or physical, alleviate anger temporarily. I am not suggesting you do that, but that's the only behaviour I know of that immediately releases the tension.
  • ChatteringMonkey
    1.3k


    Stoicism is more going the therapeutic/acceptance route, which can probably work to some extend I suppose.

    I'd suggest you first look for a possible source of that anger, and see if you can do something about that.

    Anger is often a result of lack of control, powerlessness over certain circumstances in your life... Maybe if you can do something about that, and direct some of that anger to the source of the problem, it will become less of a problem.

    Not all anger is bad, it can be motivating if you manage to direct it in a constructive direction.
  • Jack Cummins
    5.3k


    reply="god must be atheist;467296"]
    I think there are many other techniques. For expressing anger I have found metal, nu metal and emo harcore music helpful. I used to go and see loads of these bands play in Camden when I was at an angry stage of life, although live music is not happening at present. I even meditated to metal music at one stage.

    If I am wound up and I often play music in bed and I meditate to dance and psychedelic music, with headphones on if it is night.

    I also recommend therapy if you can be referred for it or able to pay. I have just spoken in length about this on my Sigmund Freud thread. If you have good friends hopefully they will listen. Some people love helplines. Personally, I have only made 2 calls to them in my life and did not feel they were wonderful.

    Other options include writing, including journaling or other forms of creative expression. I am not sporty but some people find sport to be the ultimate way of expressing and relieving anger.

    But, in concluding I would say while it is good to be aware of the options and choose what helps for you because we are all different. And of course there is the option of writing on this site to vent your feelings and opinions.
  • unenlightened
    9.2k
    Any tips and advice for managing anger?healing-anger

    Make the world less bloody annoying.
  • The Questioning Bookworm
    109


    Any tips and advice for managing anger? I know briefly about Stoicism, can anybody elaborate?healing-anger

    From my own experience, Stoicism did not help. But reading existential philosophers helped me a lot. Reading Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and others helped me wholly understand and reconcile my confusion about this absurd world and the absurd humans that inhabit it. Most of my anger has always come from not being able to understand the world, and not being able to understand our species. But this is just what helped me and my 2 cents. I am not proclaiming that this is the answer.
  • The Questioning Bookworm
    109


    Any tips and advice for managing anger?healing-anger

    Philosophical problems can make people angrier than we initially think. Psychology plays a role but does philosophy and psychology not overlap and mingle in some areas? Someone's philosophy and understanding of the world can definitely contribute to their overall anger with people and many other things in this world. So, in my opinion, reading philosophy, especially philosophy that helps explain or tackles problems that have always bothered you, can definitely be a start.
  • The Questioning Bookworm
    109


    Not all anger is bad, it can be motivating if you manage to direct it in a constructive direction.ChatteringMonkey

    This was a wonderful quote as well. Depending on the type of anger, it is certainly important to keep ChatteringMonkey's words close to home. Not all anger is bad indeed. So, we must think about what anger is 'good' and what anger is 'bad.'
  • healing-anger
    11
    Thanks everyone, I will take all your advice!
  • Ciceronianus
    3k
    For a short, pithy, instruction-manual sort of presentation of Stoicism, you might look at the Enchiridion of Epictetus (actually summary notes of his talks by his student, Arrian). Essentially, and simply put, it involves the acknowledgment that there are some things you can't control and that it's foolish and harmful to yourself and others to be disturbed by them.
  • healing-anger
    11


    Yes I agree, I do feel a fool over my anger. Anger is a useless emotion which does nothing good for me and nothing good for others. If I cannot control a situation, I should just accept it as a Stoic. I'm trying my best to not let stressors to affect me. I choose to view my reasons behind my anger as small and insignificant. I guess as a Stoic, the suffering is all in the mind and I have the power to change my idea of suffering. If I change to a positive mindset, then my reasons for my anger are so small and unimportant compared to many other people's suffering, especially in these crisis pandemic times. I think everyday I should just say thanks to the Universe, to show more gratitude.
  • Ciceronianus
    3k
    If I cannot control a situation, I should just accept it as a Stoic.healing-anger

    Epictetus said: "Do the best you can with what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."

    Stoicism isn't just about acceptance. Stoics should act virtuously to the extent they can in any situation. But having acted virtuously--having done the best they can--they shouldn't let what happens regardless of their efforts disturb them unduly.
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