8 Tips To Deal With Anger Effectively & Professionally In the Workplace

Experiencing anger in the workplace is inevitable but it can be tricky to handle as resorting to yelling is not most of our go-to reaction. In Singapore and many other Asian cultures, confrontation is something we dread and even more so when we're noticeably angry. What do we do then? ?‍♀️

Dealing with workplace anger and frustration in a professional way is an art form and we have eight tips for you to master it over time. While every work environment is different and these tips won't work for everyone or every situation, you can still take them into consideration and adapt them to suit your circumstances.

Keep reading to find out more!

#1 Acknowledge it

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Your first instinct might be to suppress or ignore your anger, question yourself if you should even be angry or desperately try to force yourself to calm down. That's probably not a good idea as you won't be in the right state to manage your anger and deal with the situation.

The first step is to acknowledge that you're upset and remind yourself that it's perfectly normal to feel that way. This direct realisation and acceptance of your emotions will help you calm down so you can focus on resolving the issue.

#2 Physical activity

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Exercise is a great stress-reliever! Having a regular exercise routine will help balance your mood in the long run.

For a quick solution when you're boiling in anger at the office, step out for a few minutes to engage in some kind of physical activity like brisk walking or climbing up and down the stairs. Breathe in and out deeply at the same time.

#3 Think in the other's perspective

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If the cause of your anger is caused by someone, consider their perspective and try to understand why they took those actions or chose those words. It might be difficult, but try to find arguments to justify and defend their behaviour.

Even if you can't justify it completely, you'll cool down and focus on the circumstance or communication issues that led to the situation, rather than the things done or said. You might also realise that the person might not be intentionally trying to frustrate or trouble you.

#4 Listen to music

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Music can help you zone out of an infuriating situation and regulate your emotions. Have a go-to playlist of your favourite feel-good music that will help you feel relaxed and peaceful.

If the person or people who triggered your anger are seated close to you, hearing their voices through the music might put you back in a bad mood. Listening to music through noise-cancelling earphones might help in this case. While this isn't a permanent solution, it can help get you in a more stable mood to deal with the situation.

Companies with a more traditional office environment may not take kindly to employees being on earphones or headphones. If that's the case for you, then this might not be an option!

#5 Write everything down

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Stopping yourself from feeling angry is easier said than done, but a simple way to do so is to note everything that happened on paper or digitally. Make sure no one has access to it! Include every detail and try to quote what was said in exact words. Think about the misunderstandings that could have occurred and include those too. Anger can make people overdramatic, so go through your notes and remove any exaggerated or emotionally-charged words.

Besides the calming effect of typing or writing, you're also distancing yourself from the situation and reframing your thoughts. This softens the magnitude of the issue and makes it easier for you to see things objectively which will calm you down.

If your colleague, manager or boss has demonstrated unprofessional behaviour that's causing you grief, writing down what happened will also help in the case when you want to make a formal complaint. Note down the date, time, colleagues present, a detailed description of what happened, what was said and how it affected your ability to carry out your job.

#6 Rant to someone

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This is probably most of our go-to solution and it works. Talk or text with a friend, family member or trusted colleague to go through what happened together and get their objective opinion. Sharing your frustrations may prompt your colleagues to share similar stories which can be comforting.

That being said, be careful of who you choose to confide in. If you're not 100% sure the conversation won't leak from someone, you should play it safe and avoid sharing anything you don't want the rest of the office to hear.

#7 Focus on the solution

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Dwelling on your anger may get you stuck in a negative state of mind for longer than necessary. Switch your focus from the problem to the solution and think about how to prevent it in the future. When discussing your issues, avoid using too many "you"s as that can sound like blaming. "We" and "I" are better. Try to use straightforward, results-oriented language that doesn't carry much emotion.

If your anger comes from dealing with a higher-up who has a tendency to blow up over small issues, throw tantrums or display inappropriate hostility, avoid showing any kind of emotion. While responding with fear and submission will mark you as an easy victim to bully, responding with anger will also make you a target and potentially harm your career prospects. Instead, focus on discussing and offering ideas for the solution.

If he or she goes back to hostility or blaming, keep trying to politely bring the conversation back to resolving the issue and the situation will gradually become less tense. Such office tyrants thrive on the emotional reactions they trigger. Fear and anger feeds the fire while logic and reason extinguishes it.

#8 Plan something fun after work

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What makes you happy? It could be a delicious meal, a shopping trip or a movie. When you're overwhelmed in anger and frustration, grab your phone and start making plans with your bffs or significant other to pamper yourself and have a ranting session. Having an escape to look forward to right after work will make you feel better and motivate you to get through the day.

Once again, these tips are not universally applicable and they may or may not work depending on the circumstance. Consider your situation carefully and tread lightly! Check out some activities in Singapore that you can do after work hours to vent your anger like shooting clay pigeons, throwing axes and smashing things.

Share this article with your friends who might find these tips of use! ❤️

Text by: GirlStyle SG