How Lawyers Should Control Their Anger? 7 Techniques To Follow
Are you unable to learn how to manage your anger as a lawyer? Is the rage that you feel so extreme that it comes in the way of solving your cases professionally? Do you have a tendency to lash out at your clients and coworkers?
Law is a complex and emotionally challenging profession. Whether you are a criminal lawyer, a family lawyer or a real estate attorney, you must know that your success at work comes from the ability to stay calm and think logically. It is only natural however, that you may sometimes experience anger.
This could be due to the competitive nature of your field and the need to stay on top of your game, having to deal with uncooperative clients and associates, and working for long hours.
If you channel this anger positively, you can use it as a source of energy and motivation to do your work efficiently, but if you fail to control it and allow it to become excessive, it can be harmful. Extreme anger as a lawyer not only impacts your personal well-being, but also affects your performance.
You are unable to give your clients the legal support they require, and you may struggle to effectively solve your cases. It is therefore important that you learn how to deal with your anger as a lawyer.
Why is it Essential for Lawyers to Manage Anger?
It is extremely important for lawyers to learn how to keep their temper under control so that they can efficiently fulfill the responsibilities that their job brings upon them as well as ensure their personal wellbeing.
As a lawyer, your clients expect you to provide them with support, help them out with their legal needs and assist them in resolving their cases smoothly. To live up to the requirements they have from you, you must have a stable state of mind. You must be able to think logically, with a problem-solving attitude.
If you are constantly angry and on edge, you can lose your professionalism and your ability to help them out. Moreover, your clients may find you unapproachable and be dissatisfied with your work ethic as well as your ability to help them out.
Furthermore, the cases that you have to deal with as a lawyer may be complex and hard to resolve. At the same time, they may require you to deal with difficult people. In order to successfully get through these hurdles, you need to have control over your emotions. You must have a clear head; for this, you must make sure your mind is not consumed with anger.
It is also essential for you to keep your anger under control for your mental and physical well-being. Anger can result in mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders and depression, and it can also harm your body by causing hypertension, muscle tension, etc. Furthermore, anger can damage your relationships with the people around you and can also lead to substance abuse.
7 Techniques A Lawyer Should Follow To Keep The Anger Under Control
- Count from 0-100
- Practice Deep Breathing
- Identify your Signs of Anger
- Make your Professionalism a Priority
- Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle
- Talk to yourself
- Opt for an Anger Management Course
Your personal well-being and your performance at work both depend on your ability to manage your anger. Here are some ways that you can learn how to overcome your anger as a lawyer:
1 – Count from 0-100
If you are in a situation where you feel like you might experience an anger outburst, take a step back from the situation and count slowly and steadily from zero to a hundred. Stepping away does not mean that you have to physically move. It just means that you must close off your mind to what’s bothering you, and distract yourself with the counting.
This gives you a break to clear your head and calm your nerves. It helps you push back your anger so that you may deal with the issue at hand with positive energy.
2 – Practice Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is one of the most effective ways to calm yourself down in the moment of anger. It increases oxygen flow to your brain and relaxes your nerves, allowing your mind to clear and enabling you to think more logically. You can use any one of the breathing techniques that you know, and once you feel calm, then make your decisions.
One of the breathing techniques you can follow is to step away from the situation, close your eyes and inhale deeply. Imagine yourself smelling a flower. Hold your breath for a few moments, and then slowly exhale. This time, imagine that you are blowing out a candle. After a few deep breaths, you will realize that you feel much calmer.
3 – Identify your Signs of Anger
Another way how lawyers should manage their anger is by learning more about themselves and understanding what triggers them. Once you are able to identify what things bother you and how you tend to react to them, you can be more aware of yourself in different situations and keep yourself in check.
One of the most effective methods of doing this is journaling. Make a log of how you behave in various situations and keep track of the pattern that may be forming. Also take note of how you tend to react, how extreme your anger is and to who you lash out on. Furthermore, pay attention to how this is affecting you, your work, and the people around you. This allows you to analyze your behavioral patterns and take steps accordingly.
4 – Make your Professionalism a Priority
Professionalism is key in how you deal with your clients, behave in court and meetings, and try to resolve the case at hand. If you let your anger consume you, you will not be able to conduct yourself in the way that is necessary and this will hinder you from performing well.
What you must do is that every time you feel angry, you must remind yourself that staying professional is a priority and that it will determine your future in your profession.
5 – Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle
Adopting a healthier lifestyle can be an effective tool in helping you keep your temper in control. Anger is a form of negative energy that is built up inside of you, so your goal then must be to counter it with positive energy.
There are many changes that you can bring about in your life to achieve this goal. For starters, you can opt for a healthier diet and get sufficient sleep. Both of these are essential to our lives, but the ones we tend to ignore the most. Nutritious food and proper sleep will revitalize your body, help your mind recover and give you the positivity you need to go about your day.
You must also involve yourself in some sort of physical exercise or meditation. This is essential for your body because it releases your happy hormones and helps you relax, thereby countering your anger. You must also try to spend quality time with your loved ones and communicate with them.
6 – Talk to yourself
Positive self-talk is a healthy way of channeling anger positively and can play an important role in helping lawyers control their temper. Self-talk allows you to have a more optimistic approach and motivates you to do better.
For example, if the judge is giving you a hard time during a court proceeding, and you feel like you might experience an anger outburst, you can rely on positive affirmations. These may include “I need to keep calm, there are other ways to go about this”, “everything will be okay, I can do this”, and “I just need to clear my head, and then I’ll be able to work my way through this”.
7 – Opt an Anger management course
If you feel like your anger is persistent and is damaging your health, relationships, and work performance, feel free to reach out for help. One of the most effective ways to do this is by enrolling in online anger management classes. All these classes are designed especially to help you fight your rage and give you useful tips to keep yourself in check.
The courses that are available vary from a duration of 4 hours to 52 hours and you can choose to enroll in any one depending on the amount of help and support you feel like you need.
Conclusion
Lawyers shoulder the responsibility of helping their clients solve complex cases and so, they must make sure that they have control over their emotions, especially anger. There can be many reasons that trigger their rage in the law profession, including but not limited to the fact that they have to deal with difficult people, work long hours, and be at the top of their game in a highly competitive environment.
While this anger can be helpful to some extent, if it is not controlled, it can prevent them from performing well at work and can cause harm to their health.
As a lawyer, your anger must be kept in check because your clients rely on you to help them out, and for that, you need a logical mindset. If you let your anger consume you, you are unable to deal with the situation professionally and you may be unable to resolve the complex cases that come your way.
Furthermore, it is also necessary for you to learn how lawyers should manage their anger because of the damage it causes to their personal wellbeing. Some of the most effective ways how to manage anger as a lawyer include online anger management courses, taking deep breaths, and learning how to identify your anger.
Dr. Carlos Todd PhD LCMHC specializes in anger management, family conflict resolution, marital and premarital conflict resolution. His extensive knowledge in the field of anger management may enable you to use his tested methods to deal with your anger issues.
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