Suppressing your anger could lead to physical and behavioral problems. Instead, learn how to manage it. Yoga may be the perfect solution for exercising while social distancing—and it could improve your mental health. When your emotions get overwhelming, don’t be afraid to cry—even at work. Here are some tips from the experts.

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Don’t suppress anger; learn to manage it.

While our instinct may be to suppress our anger, that could lead to other problems, like heart attacks, depression or using alcoholism as a coping mechanism. Instead, we need to learn to manage these strong emotions.

Be aware of your body. Do you frown when you start to get angry? Do your muscles start to tense? What triggers those physical reactions, and how do you respond? Do you get defensive, aggressive, resentful or enraged?

Anger is a buildup of negative energy, but you can learn to channel that energy before it explodes into conflict. Take a moment to distance yourself from your triggers and just breathe. Work off some of the energy with a walk or even a hard physical workout, or use journaling to purge your thoughts. Don’t initiate conversations or make any important decision until you’ve regained control and can think logically.

Source: “Managing anger in controversial times,” SmartBrief, June 1, 2020

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Get a boost with yoga.

Exercise boosts both mood and health, which can help people who are feeling lonely and disconnected due to stay-at-home orders. But with most gyms and classes still closed, many people are struggling to find a way to exercise while social distancing.

Movement-based yoga may be the perfect solution—and it could also significantly improve mental health.

Research finds that movement-based yoga improves symptoms of depression for people living with mental health conditions like anxiety, post-traumatic stress and major depression. Movement-based yoga is defined as any form of yoga where participants are physically active at least 50 percent of the time—that is forms of yoga that emphasize holding poses and flowing through sequences of poses.

Source: “Covid-19: Managing mental health with yoga,” University of South Australia, May 16, 2020

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Don’t be afraid to cry.

Sometimes you need a good cry—even at work. And with the last few months bringing a global pandemic, economic strife, increased racial tensions and societal upheaval, people need an outlet for their stress and pent-up emotions now more than ever.

Don’t judge yourself or someone else for crying at work. It’s not a sign of weakness or unprofessionalism. And if you’re the person who cried, don’t apologize. However, it might be beneficial to acknowledge your tears and what caused them. Were you frustrated by layoffs? Overwhelmed by your workload? Or was the catalyst something in your home life?

Source: “A Teary Time,” Korn Ferry Advance, May 7, 2020