"Anyone can become angry-- that is easy, but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not easy." ~ Aristotle
How's your anger management skills? Mine are works in progress. From what I've read, the key is to take charge of your emotions and not let anger control you. And to release anger in "the right way."
"Get mad," advised former Secretary of State Colin Powell. "Then get over it."
Here are some other things you can do when you start to feel angry:
Stop... Take a deep breath... Talk to a close friend... Light some candles... Take a bubble bath or a nice long shower... Stomp your feet... Write about your feelings in your journal... Count to 10... Transform your anger into a drawing... Ask for a hug, or give one...
"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness," explained philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you're angry, grab your pillow and hit it... Do something physical... Dig weeds in your garden... Sing along with your favorite music (I highly recommend wailing to Neil Young's Southern Man. Make sure the volume is turned way up.)... Eat some ice cream... Try to find the humor in the situation...
And LET IT GO...
As Buddha observed, "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing in at someone else -- You are the one who gets burned."
Stay cool and pick your battles.