When looking for ways to increase energy, people often look towards diet and exercise—which we LOVE! But there are other lifestyle factors that can zap your energy too! Anger is one of them—it often leads to stress and a fight-or-flight nervous system response, skyrocketing your blood pressure and sending adrenaline surging through your body. Not only is this bad for your arteries, but it also drains your energy. And, worst of all, it prevents you from being happy.

Here are a few tips we use to calm ourselves down when we feel that anger could get the best of us:

• Walk away from the situation. (This one is tough but feels so good if you can do it!)
• Recognize that you’re feeling angry and losing control.
• Take a few deep breaths. (This works like a charm. It even works for Tammy’s five year old!)
• Repeat a soothing phrase, such as “take it easy” or “relax”.
• Put yourself in the other person’s place and try to see things from his or her perspective.
• Ask yourself, “Will this matter next week? Next month? Next year?” (This one works really well for us.)
• Learn to laugh at yourself. (We think laughter can cure all).
• Count to 10 before saying anything. Give yourself a few seconds to think about your response.
• Once away from the situation, do something relaxing, such as reading a book, taking a bath, or drinking some tea.
• Once you feel that you’ve calmed down and levelheaded, return to the situation to deal with it.