How to STOP Feeling Angry

Uncontrolled anger negatively impacts many aspects of an empath’s daily life:

• Anger kills sleep. The adage is to never go to bed angry, but that is easier said than done.
• Anger leads to overwhelm, anxiety, and stress, especially for HSPs who may be unsure if the anger originates from within themselves or from others.
• Anger destroys inner harmony and the ability to remain mindfully present in the moment. Distracted by anger, overthinking takes over.
• Anger stems from attachments to how we think things “should” be – if only we had X, Y, or Z in our lives, we would be happy.
• Anger arises from unmet expectations. We have a mental picture of how things ought to be that clashes with reality.

When looking for the answer to “How to STOP Feeling Angry,” the first step is awareness.

Building a Supportive Community

One antidote to anger is creating a community of like-minded kindred spirits where it feels safe to be sensitive and intuitive. The support of others who intimately understand an empath’s experiences and struggles is invaluable. We created the Spirit360 Fellowship – to provide a haven for learning to be fully present and consciously create one’s life experience.

The Empty Boat Analogy

Consider the story of the monk peacefully meditating in his boat on a perfect spring day. Suddenly, something bumps into his rowboat, triggering him to lash out in anger at the disturbance. But when he opens his eyes, he sees the other boat is empty, and his anger dissipates. What good does it do to rage at an empty boat? The realization is that everything in life is like that empty boat, simply doing what it does. Anger only serves to disconnect us from others.

Sources of Anger

For empaths and HSPs, familiar sources of anger include:

1. 1. Attachment to specific outcomes and goals, tying our self-worth to their achievement
2. Expectations of how things “should” be that conflict with reality
3. Withheld communication – things left unsaid for fear of them being poorly received

The way out of this vicious anger cycle is through mindfulness – consciously choosing what to focus your thoughts on is important when learning how to stop feeling angry.

Recontextualize triggering situations by examining where you may be attached, forcing outcomes, or failing to communicate.

Mindfulness Practices to Manage Anger

Some mindful anger management practices include:

• Awareness – simply recognizing and accepting when you feel angry, without judgment
• Respond consciously rather than react – take deep breaths and consider your response
• Journaling – writing out your feelings to process them
• Meditation – spending time in stillness to ground yourself
• Self-care – tending to your own needs with compassion

With practice, you can expand your capacity to remain mindfully present, even in triggering situations. You have more control over your experience of life and your emotional responses than you may believe.

Ending Anger’s Grip

In the end, anger can only survive within an untrained mind. Through awareness practices like meditation and journaling, you train your mind to choose how to act rather than automatically react consciously.

Anger has no power over you unless you grant it. You can choose to empower anger, or you can choose to empower mindful awareness – to witness your attachments, expectations, and withheld communications that pull you out of the present moment.

Spiritual Anger Management

As an empath or HSP on a spiritual path, having compassion for yourself is critical. Forgive yourself for past angry reactions. Practice gratitude for the lessons anger brings. Most of all, be kind to yourself as you learn and grow.

With time and practice, you can learn “how to stop feeling angry” and be triggered. Mindfulness and spiritual guidance provide a pathway to inner peace. Remember, your sensitivity is a gift.

Embrace your identity as an intuitive feeler and let it motivate you to do the inner work needed to master your emotional responses. In doing so, you can focus on your spirit’s highest intentions.