You are late for a job interview when traffic slows to a crawl.  At the supermarket, a customer wheeling a full cart cuts ahead of you in the express check-out line.  You spend months on a make-it or break-it project, and your lazy colleague lands the promotion.

Feel that burn?  Before you implode with rage or erupt into a tantrum, take a deep breath and remember this: anger hurts.  Study after study has found that high levels of anger and hostility are associated with greater risk for heart disease, poor immune responses, and even a propensity for obesity. Men with high anger scores were three times more likely to develop heart disease than their calmer cohorts, a Havard School of Public Health study found. nd in women, arguments with spouses raise hormone levels ad lower immunity--a real problem, since lower immune response may boost women's risk of cancer.

The good news is, it is possible to control your anger. By evaluating it and using various techniques, you can talk yourself out of it. That's what's nice about us humans: We can always do something or not do something to change our behavior.

       Take stock

       Many people who are angry don't recognize themselves as angry. You can ask yourself these questions to measure your anger quotient: Do you feel as if you are frequently mistreated by others? Do you often consider minor inconveniences to be personal attacks against you? Do you complain often? Do you exaggerate the actions of others or take their affronts personally?  On the road, do you frequently curse other drivers, to the point that driving has become unpleasant?

       Keep a record

       To get a better sense of what makes you mad, keep a journal of situations that rile you. Reflect on why they set you off and make you feel wronged. Ask yourself honestly whether your anger is justified. By writing down feelings and situations, you'll become more aware of the events that get your ire and maybe even avoid them.

       Change or accept

       When you feel anger welling up, take a change -- it or accept -- it approach.  If, for example, your neighbor's garbage is fluttering into your yard yet again it's time to put your problem-solving skills into motion. Calmly discuss the situation, and look for ways to change it.

       If you can't do anything about the situation, work to put your anger on hold right then and there.  Accept what you can't do anything about it, take some deep breaths, and move on to something else.

 

From Reader's Digest