NOVEMBER 2012
WWW.TOMIMAGAZINE.COM
34
Does your job require an impossible number
of tasks completed by unreasonable dead-
lines? Or perhaps you have a perfectionist,
controlling boss who micromanages everything
you do. These are examples of high-pressure
jobs. Whether it’s fast-paced work, difficult
work, too much work, or a stressful office pop-
ulated by difficult personalities, many of us
have jobs that leave us feeling frustrated, re-
sentful, and angry.
At its extreme, job-related anger can
lead to workplace violence, which ranks
among the top four causes of death in work-
places during the past years, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 3,000
people die from workplace homicide annually,
and more than 15,000 workers a year suffer
nonfatal injuries as a result of workplace vio-
lence.
What do you do when you’re so angry
that you have to urge to break something, yell
at someone, or worst of all, strike out? Here
are some strategies that will help.
MANAGEMENT
DEALING WITH ANGER
IN A HIGH-PRESSURE JOB
S
IX
STEP
PROCESS
Recognize that anger is a physical state
Realize that frustration means anger, and an-
ger is just a pure physical sensation. You can
literally work anger out of your body like a
masseuse works a kink out of your muscles.
You need to move that energy out, physically
and constructively in a safe place. Do it where
nothing of values is harmed—including your-
self-and no one is around to inhibit you.
Feel how the anger affects your body
Look for anger’s physical clues: ears getting
hot, face flushing, chest pounding, rage mov-
ing up your spine, sudden sweating, muscles
tensing, and feeling as if you’re about to ex-
plode. This is good! Once you can identify the
feeling as physical, it’s not difficult to move
the energy up and out your body.
Get yourself to the nearest private bath-
room
When you’re ready to lose it, instead of
biting your coworker’s head off or throwing
verbal darts at your boss and losing your job,
excuse yourself to a private bathroom and
lock the door. To release anger from your
body, push against a wall as hard as you can.
Or grab the bathroom stall door and shake it
on its hinges as if you were going to break it
off the foundation. Or jump and down, stomp-
ing your feet and shaking your fists.