Use this worksheet to identify the triggers and cooling down factors to help manage anger reactions Anger Warning Signs / Triggers Cool-down / Defusion Techniques Physical: Physical: • Knots in your stomach • Physically shake it off • Clenching your hands or jaw • Take regular exercise • Feeling clammy or flushed • Practice Multimodal Relaxation • Breathing faster • Exercising Assertiveness - fighting fair • Headaches Cognitive: • Pacing or needing to walk around • Time-lining – identify unresolved beliefs or images “Seeing red” • Reality checking – Get things back into proportion 10 • • Having trouble concentrating • Catch it > Check it > Change it > Notice the thought and ask yourself • Pounding heart “How does this help me?” “What is a more realistic way of seeing this?” “Do I trust myself enough to let go of the anger now?” • Tensing your shoulders Cognitive: 9 • Thought back-tracking – what was the thought before the hot thought? • Obsessing about being wronged or unfairly judged • Thought Defusion - occupy the same thinking space from a different • • Making rigid demands about how things “should or must be” Seeing things in black and white terms 8 vantage point – Being the thought > seeing the thought > notice seeing the thought… • Focusing on and inflating the unfairness and injustice • Express the rule as a preference – the anger antidote! • • Mind reading and jumping to conclusions without checking the facts Drawing negative inferences about other people’s intentions 7 • Way one and way two –– acting according to my values not vulnerabilities • Looking for things to get upset about Behavioural: • • Attributing blame Dwelling on, imagining or replaying negative scenarios 6 • • Withdraw from the situation Take a walk Using the situation to label other people as lazy, incompetent, corrupt • Apply the three second rule 5 • or Malicious • Paradoxical Spiking –inflate the anger spikes to habituate the reaction Behavioural: • Massed exposure exercise – record/replay negative thinking patterns Emotional: 4 • Continuous ruminating and replaying negative scenarios • Criticising or insulting others • Identifying the feeling behind the feeling – what does anger protect • Jumping to your own defense rather than acknowledging feedback you against? • Emotional swapping e.g. anger for annoyance • • Looking for problems Testing tolerance levels or breaking points 3 • • Emotional tolerance – surfing the feelings until the tide recedes Practicing the art of compassion or forgiveness • Telling yourself that you have to be right Imaginal / Mindful: • • Pointing out errors or problems Raising your voice and shouting 2 • • Count backwards from 100 and watch the Barometer Use abdominal breathing Getting physical with objects or other people 1 • Situational: • Practice calm colours breathing visualisation • Reduced sleep or rest • Locate and shift the tension to your feet • Over-indulgence • Focus on the breath • Over-working • Undertake body scan • Insufficient relaxation / recreation time • Silent Mantra, self-affirmation and meditations • Low rewards • Sit with open hands and open mind • Confined environments / restricted space • Shifting Focus of attention • Dehydration / poor diet • Slow motion focus • Lack of physical activity • Non-doing – using the five senses • Centering • Self-soothing