Handling Anger & Stress

Anger and stress are normal emotions, but they can cause lots of problems at work, home and in your personal life.

Anger

The natural way to deal with anger is to respond aggressively. However, unexpressed or pent up anger can also lead to aggressive behavior. Anger management tricks can help you suppress and redirect anger.

Here are some steps you can try the next time you get angry:

• Take a long, deep breath.
• Slowly repeat a calm word like "relax" or "take it easy" to yourself.
• Do a small exercise or stretch to help calm yourself down.
• Remind yourself that getting angry won’t fix anything.

Stress and Pregnancy

Stress is the way your body reacts to something that is unusual or dangerous. It can lead to medical problems like high blood pressure or depression.

Here are some ways to deal with stress:

• Remove yourself from the situation that is stressing you out
• Have fun
• Talk to someone about what’s going on
• Avoid things that you know make you feel stressed
• Avoid making major life decisions
• Take a break, get comfortable and rest

Sometimes feelings of stress and anger can linger, even after you’ve tried the above techniques.

Here are a couple ways to deal with longer lasting stress and anger:

• Talk to someone about your feelings
• Take care of your health
• Learn to say no so that you don’t get overwhelmed
• Get plenty of sleep
• Limit the amount of caffeine and alcohol you consume
• Help someone else (this gives you a sense of control and takes your mind off of the situation)