One year ago, this month, we all heard about the global pandemic and so began the litany of masking, social distancing, and sheltering in place. It seems longer than that, doesn’t it? Now experts in anger management say these are especially difficult times. Ya think? People are not only tired of being told what to do, but also anxious about the future and angry we are in this pickle. This is how we humans react to stress. We want to fight or take flight.

Naturally, our anger increases when our anxieties increase. Then we turn to the blame game as a survival technique. Actually, anger can be quite useful. It can make us feel brave and encourage us to tackle unpleasant situations. Most of us prefer being angry to being anxious. It can, however, get in the way of our ability to listen to another person’s point of view. Experts refer to this the as “moral hypocrisy.”

So, what to do? Here are some recommendations:

• Focus on the source of your anger. Did you know there are two types of anger? Integral anger is when you are directly involved with the source. And then there’s incidental anger. As in ‘where did this lousy virus come from anyway?’ Knowing which variety of anger, you are dealing with, will supposedly improve your strategy on how to cope with it.
• Is your anger useful? If not—drop it—let it go. Spend your time dealing with something you can change.
• Calm down. Try the usual coping methods: taking a stroll in the park, practicing deep breathing or meditation, getting on you stationary bike and peddling away (some call their bikes their ‘anger dispersal unit’).
• Clean up your space. Make it uncluttered, comfortable, and welcoming.
• Try to think reasonably about someone else’s behavior—it’s the first step to reconciliation.