Stress Management Management Techniques How to Let Go of Stress and Anger By Elizabeth Scott, MS twitter Elizabeth Scott, MS, is a wellness coach specializing in stress management and quality of life, and the author of "8 Keys to Stress Management." Learn about our editorial process Elizabeth Scott, MS Reviewed by Reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW on September 24, 2020 facebook twitter linkedin instagram Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a psychotherapist, the author of the bestselling book "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," and the host of the Mentally Strong People podcast. Learn about our Review Board Amy Morin, LCSW Updated on September 24, 2020 Print Jovo Jovanovic / Stocksy United Sometimes stressful situations can seem to stick with us. Most of us find ourselves ruminating or holding onto negative feelings we have about stressors or conflicts in our lives at one time or another. Unfortunately, this tendency can prolong the stress that we experience and even magnify it. Here are some proven strategies for letting go of rumination, letting go of anger, and holding onto peace. Expressive Writing Some people write an angry letter that they later burn. Others write about their feelings and brainstorm solutions. A few even write books or short stories that express their feelings and combat rumination. Regardless of the form it takes, many people have found journaling and expressive writing helpful in letting go of stress and negative emotions. Research confirms that expressive writing can be helpful for the stressed. Studies have shown that expressive writing can be effective in reducing symptoms of depression among those with a tendency toward brooding and rumination. This can be a relatively quick and inexpensive way to work through difficult emotions and let things go. While there's no official rules, many people find it helpful to write at the same time each day—for example, find a quiet, comfortable spot and take a few minutes to write before bedtime each night to help reflect upon and let go of the day's event. How to Use Journaling as a Stress Management Tool Meditation It seems that everyone from Oprah to Sting is touting the benefits of meditation and mindfulness for stress relief, and for good reason. A key ingredient of meditation is a focus on the present. When you actively focus on the present moment and gently prevent your mind from fixating on past events or future fears, it’s much easier to let go of negative emotions surrounding these things. Research confirms that meditation-based stress management practices reduce stress and rumination. These techniques also enhance one’s tendency toward forgiveness, which brings its own rewards. 5 Meditation Techniques for Relaxation and Relief Change Your Thoughts The basis of cognitive therapy is that the way you think about an event can shape the emotional response that you have in a given situation. For example, if you perceive a situation to be a "threat," you will have a different emotional (and therefore physical) response than if you viewed the same situation as a "challenge." This assertion has been supported by research that shows how people can stop angry feelings by looking differently at a stressful situation or distracting their thoughts. Looking at a situation from a new lens, rather than just dwelling on the negative, can help with anger management and lowering one’s stress response. Once you understand how your thoughts color your experiences, you can use this information to reduce stress with a process known as cognitive restructuring. Cognitive Therapy for Dealing With Stress Change Your Behavior You can also change your feelings by changing your behavior—taking the "fake it ’til you make it" approach. You can do this in a few different ways. Perhaps the simplest is to make conscious choices to add some new stress management activities to your life: Get regular exercisePractice meditation a few times a weekTake up a hobby that helps you relieve stress Another effective strategy is to change your behavior when you find yourself dwelling on the negative: Actively get involved in doing something that will take your mind off of what’s stressing you. If you’d like to take a more structured approach, metacognitive behavior therapy has been found to be up to 80% effective in treating ruminative tendencies, and is considered the "mainstay" of treatment; it works relatively quickly, and you may find it to be very effective. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is another effective form of treatment, which combines cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. This type of intervention alone, or combined with SSRI medication, has been found helpful for depressed patients who tend to ruminate. A Word From Verywell If you're having difficulty managing your stress or your angry feelings are interfering with your ability to live your best life, you may want to consider professional help. It's tough to break patterns and practice new strategies when you're not feeling your best. Talking to a professional can help. The 7 Best Online Anger Management Classes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Struggling with stress? Our guide offers expert advice on how to better manage stress levels. Get it FREE when you sign up for our newsletter. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Kuzucu Y, Şimşek ÖF, Koşe-demiray Ç. Language and the Symptoms of Mental Illness Connection via Abstract Representations of the Self and the World. J Psychol. 2020;:1-19. doi:10.1080/00223980.2019.1703098 Rush SE, Sharma M. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Stress Management Intervention for Cancer Care: A Systematic Review. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017;22(2):348-360. doi:10.1177%2F2156587216661467 Denson TF, Moulds ML, Grisham JR. The effects of analytical rumination, reappraisal, and distraction on anger experience. Behav Ther. 2012;43(2):355-64. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2011.08.001 Hagen R, Hjemdal O, Solem S, et al. Metacognitive Therapy for Depression in Adults: A Waiting List Randomized Controlled Trial with Six Months Follow-Up. Front Psychol. 2017;8:31. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2017.00031 Hvenegaard M, Watkins ER, Poulsen S, et al. Rumination-focused cognitive behaviour therapy vs. cognitive behaviour therapy for depression: study protocol for a randomised controlled superiority trial. Trials. 2015;16:344. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0875-y Additional Reading Attri N, Ravipati M, Agrawal P, Healy C, Feller A. Rumination syndrome: an emerging case scenario. South Med J. 2008;101(4):432-5. doi:10.1097/SMJ.0b013e318167a91c Ray RD, Wilhelm FH, Gross JJ. All in the mind's eye? Anger rumination and reappraisal. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008;94(1):133-45. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.94.1.133 Sloan DM, Marx BP, Epstein EM, Dobbs JL. Expressive writing buffers against maladaptive rumination. Emotion. 2008;8(2):302-6. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.8.2.302 Wilkinson PO, Goodyer IM. The effects of cognitive-behavioural therapy on mood-related ruminative response style in depressed adolescents. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2008;2(1):3. doi:10.1186/1753-2000-2-3