Highly sensitive people & anger is a sensitive topic that needs to be spoken about. A highly sensitive person views the world differently than we do. They feel emotions more and they have certain peculiarities.
For the highly sensitive person, emotions can be a rollercoaster. One reason is because highly sensitive people are empaths. They feel the emotions of people around them. Both positive and negative emotions.
This can be quite a challenge for the highly sensitive individual for various reason. Positive emotions can be powerful but it’s easier feeling joy than hurt. Negative emotions can generally be draining for a highly sensitive person.
What It’s Like Processing Negative Emotions for Highly Sensitive People
HSPs absorb emotions from other people and environments. That’s right! The HSP is someone who feels the emotions of people and the energy in the environment.
Having a HSP spouse or friend means understanding how your mood affects them. Your emotions can rub off on them and they start to mirror your emotions. Unfortunately, they don’t let it out like you but it consumes them on the inside.
Processing negative emotions for a highly sensitive person can be a quite a challenge because they feel things more deeply and it can trigger their anxiety as their empathetic side also comes to play.
It is now a complete rollercoaster of emotions which can affect HSPs and the people around them. This brings us to the important question. How exactly do highly sensitive people handle anger?
Highly Sensitive People & Anger
Anger for the highly sensitive individual can be devastating. It can lead to a period of self doubt, discomfort, and sadness amongst other things. Anger can leave a person visibly shaken and unstable.
Negative emotions such as anger can have control over a person, especially one who is too sensitive. So, for highly sensitive people looking to manage their anger, these tips below can go a long way.
5 Ways to Manage Anger As An HSP
Here are 5 important ways to manage anger for any HSP.
1. Acknowledge Your Emotions
The first thing you should learn is to manage your emotions in a healthy manner. You can do this by accepting these emotions. Running away from them doesn’t help. You’ll have to face them sooner or later.
Whenever you feel negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, or sadness, never try to ignore them. Unfortunately ignoring things do not make things go away. Instead, it postponed the agony.
Acknowledging these emotions brings you a step closer to understanding why you feel them. You’ll also find out the cause of those emotions and how to properly deal with them.
2. Expressing Your Emotions
The angry HSP can manage their anger by expressing it. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to scream every time you’re angry. That isn’t the only way of expressing anger.
One way you appreciate the gift of expressing is by getting a journal. In this journal, it is important to write about the good and bad days.
It always serves as a reference point when you need to know what goes through your mind when feeling these emotions. You can also express yourself through screaming (yes) or talking to a friend etc.
3. Practice Mindfulness
How can you practice mindfulness? You can through exercises, mediation, and yoga. it is important to take long deep breaths (box breathing is highly recommended). Take care of your mental health by knowing when you shut down.
Meditation is a great way of gaining control over your thoughts and being in tune with your environment. It can help in managing anger and staying relaxed. When your mind is at peace, it is easier for your body to be relaxed.
Other exercises that can help you expel anger includes running, swimming, or any form of cardio. These are very helpful and you begin to feel the impact almost immediately.
4. Avoid Your Triggers
As a highly sensitive person, avoiding your triggers is super important. Getting some alone and recharge time makes it better. Sometimes triggers are all around us. We just need a break.
Identify the triggers in your environment and work accordingly. Highly sensitive people are not often moved by what they see but by what they hear. Avoid sad news or triggering movies and shows.
Highly sensitive people are also sensitive to light and sharp sounds. Try to limit your access to this especially when you’re angry as it could only get worse.
5. Talk To a Professional
If your anger and negative emotions are taking over your life, what you want to do is talk to a mental health professional. Sometimes all we need is a professional listening ear.
Talking to a professional can be hard for a lot of people, especially introverts. There are online professional health platforms that can help you just as well.
Anger is an emotion that can disrupt your mood and eat you up from inside. You do not want that to happen to you. As a HSP, the world is still trying to understand you. However, you must remember to understand and love yourself enough to try.
