8 Effective Ways to Deal With Someone Who is Angry

8 Effective Ways to Deal With Someone Who is Angry

Anger is a powerful emotion. It can make us feel like we are on top of the world, or it can destroy us. When someone we care about is angry, it can be hard to know what to do. Here are eight effective ways to deal with someone who is angry.

  1. Just listen until they wind down. This is probably the most important thing you can do. When someone is angry, they need to vent. If you try to talk or reason with them while they are still angry, it will only make things worse. Let them rant and rave until they have calmed down enough to listen to reason.
  1. Say you’re sorry the person is angry. Interestingly, when an angry person hears this, they often calm down.
  1. Attempt to relate. Make them feel like they aren’t alone. When people are angry, they feel like they are the only ones who think that way. If you can find some common ground, it will help them to feel less alone and more understood.
  1. Offer moral support such as “Is there anything I can do?” or be there for them. Sometimes people need someone to be there for them. They don’t necessarily require you to do anything, and they just need to know that you care.
  1. Be encouraging about getting the situation worked out. Don’t add fuel to the fire by being negative yourself: This is a tough one. It can be hard to be encouraging when you are dealing with someone who is angry. But if you can find a way to do it, it will go a long way in helping to diffuse the situation.
  1. Keep your feelings about the situation to yourself. This is not the time to air your grievances: This can be difficult, especially if you are angry yourself. But it is important to remember that this is not about you. This is about the person who is angry and what they need from you.
  1. After some minutes have passed, try to change the subject. If you feel the time is right, try to move the person away from whatever makes them angry. This may distract them from their anger and help them relax. Use this tip wisely, however – they may not be ready to move on from their frustration yet, and it may anger them more if you try to change the subject. 
  1. Trust your instincts to protect yourself. If you feel like you are in danger, remove yourself from the situation: This is probably the most important thing on this list. If you feel like you are in danger, get out of there. There is no shame in admitting that you can’t handle the situation and need to remove yourself for your own safety.

If you find yourself in a situation where someone is angry, try to remember these eight strategies. It might not always be easy, but diffusing the anger will usually lead to a better outcome than returning negativity with more negativity. Do your best to stay calm and collected, take responsibility for your actions, and avoid getting defensive. With time and patience, you should be able to diffuse the situation and hopefully come to a resolution that everyone can agree on.

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