6 Things to Remember When You Get Angry

Breathe

Once you’ve found a place where you can be alone, McDavid recommends trying a calming breathing exercise to help you cool off: Inhale through your nose for five seconds, hold your breath for two seconds, exhale slowly out of your mouth for eight to 10 seconds, then repeat. This exercise “will both calm down your nervous system and take you out of your thinking mind, because you need to count,” she says, adding that the last thing you want to do is linger on your anger.