This post was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.

Though anger makes for a great show, it can have negative consequences. For example, having too much rage can make it difficult to focus on the match and cause you to lose. Furthermore, you don’t want to take out your anger on innocent bystanders, such as your fans, coach, or family. Finally, persistent anger problems that are not managed or treated can negatively alter your overall mental health and personality.

So although anger may seem like a necessity in wrestling, the truth is that unbridled anger can be quite harmful. Here are a few tips for managing your anger so it does take control of you.

Practice Skills That Can Keep You Calm And Focused

There is a lot of energy surrounding a wrestling match. Many people will use the rage they feel to irritate you and get you riled up. But as mentioned before, unbridled rage can actually hurt your wrestling performance rather than help it.

This is why anger management should become a lifestyle, not just a habit. Develop skills and behaviors that will prevent you from getting riled up and keep your mind calm. This will prevent you from becoming unnecessarily angry right before a match starts. After all, most wrestlers win their matches because they were able to stay calm and focused, not because they had uncontrollable rage.

To encourage calm, try some exercises such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation. If you find that anger is taking over your life, you can find more strategies by going to anger management programs or trying therapy.

Use Anger To Your Advantage

However, it is important to understand that you shouldn’t just stifle or repress your anger. As a wrestler, you are thrown many obstacles and challenges that will understandably irritate you. Therefore, you should find ways to use your anger to your advantage.

Don’t use your anger to focus on how much you dislike your opponent. Instead, use your anger to power up your moves and take them down. This extra energy may give you a needed boost to win your match, but only when used mindfully and wisely.

This is called sublimation. It is the act of using harmful or intense emotions in socially acceptable behaviors. Using your anger wisely in matches is a way to channel your anger toward your opponent without losing focus. Just make sure not to let your anger take over you. Without control, you may seriously hurt yourself, your opponent, or do something that will get you disqualified.

Don’t Hold A Grudge

Though having rivalries makes for great television, it hinders your ability to reduce and manage your anger. Therefore, no matter your history with an opponent, refrain from holding a grudge. This can encourage you to hold onto toxic anger, which can harm your health and well-being. Your opponent is just doing the same job as you, so try not to take it too personally.

Take Time To Cool Off

After a match, you should take some time to process the experience and cool off. Whether you won or lost, holding onto that anger is unhealthy and can affect the loved ones around you. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and reset your mind to avoid bringing your anger to the rest of your day.

Avoid Displacing Your Anger

Anger displacement is one of the most toxic ways to manage this emotion. Displacing is the act of redirecting your anger onto a recipient that is innocent or perceived as weaker. Unfortunately, many people displace their anger and potentially harm their loved ones as a result.

This is common for those who can’t control their rage after losing a match. Instead of dealing with their anger appropriately, they may take it out on their coaches or loved ones. This can cause rifts within their team and may ruin essential relationships.

**If you or someone you know has experienced anger that has turned to domestic violence or abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799.SAFE (7233) for help and resources.**

Bottom Line

Anger is a common emotion in the wrestling world. And though anger can be useful during a match, it is important that you manage it. Unmanaged anger can lead to health problems, mental health conditions, and ruined relationships. Hopefully, this article gave you a few tips to help manage your anger so you can stay focused during the next match.

For more tips on how to manage your anger, click on the link below: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/anger/