It's so easy to let anger and stress get the best of us and sometimes seems impossible to control it when things seem hopeless or out of control. However, there are ways to control those urges to lash out or to prevent stress from manifesting in self-destructive ways that can make a bad situation worse. Discipline is the key.

Learning how to manage anger and stress can make a world of difference in how we perceive and react to those situations we cannot control. The first thing to understand is that though some things are out of our control, how we react to them is not. We have to take responsibility for how we react and learn that pointing the finger at the source is only an excuse for our own poor judgment and behavior.

One way to help deal with both anger and stress is by having a good friend or confidante who we can talk to, a way to get the feelings out by speaking about them. This can often take the air out of those feelings of anger and stress that are like an overfilled balloon just ready to pop.

Physical exercise, meditation, and breathing exercises can also help to diminish anger and stress. By concentrating our efforts on an exercise we enjoy, such as walking or jogging, or by trying some relaxing meditation techniques and breathing exercises, our bodies will benefit and our minds will calm as our thoughts are diverted from the source of our discomfort. Sleeping and eating well can also aid in anger and stress management.

Positive self-talk is another crucial technique in calming our nerves and easing our minds. This method of anger and stress management may take awhile to master as it takes a certain amount of discipline to learn and apply positive self-talk as our minds try to conjure up all the negative thinking we've become accustomed to using. When a negative thought tries to bully its way to the forefront of our minds, we need to push it aside and replace it, instead, with a positive and reassuring one.