How to calm yourself?

[Tubby]

Anyone know how to really calm yourself down when your mad. I always take a moment and think to myself, inhale, exhale. This method works for me I was just wondering if anyone else had some methods?

As an example, I have to tell you about my day today. I play hockey and we have a tournament this weekend. It was the first game and we were doing pretty well. Then it goes downhill when I accidentally push a kid head first into the wall. This is usually just a 10 minute major (you get 10 minutes in the penalty box, but your only down 1 player for 2 minutes) but they gave me a game misconduct, or an ejection. I controlled my temper by breathing until i got into the locker room where i just lost my shit. I couldn't control myself. I was trying to calm myself down but I couldn't any suggestions?

 

[Cos]

I get stressed out a LOT, especially involving school. It's not so much anger that I have to chill out with but stress instead. Anyway though here are some tips!

1. If I feel overwhelmed I stop what I'm doing and I look at fish. I know it sounds kinda weird but my family owns both a large fish tank and a koi pond in our back yard. If I ever feel overwhelmed I just take a moment to go look at my fish swimming around. It's calming!

2. Think of something you like. I know it sounds cliche but thinking of something you like while in a state of panic can really help!

3. Think of someone that makes you laugh/happy. If I'm ever worried about something and need to calm down fast I always think of a person who I've had some good times with. Specifically funny ones! (This person for me is @Josh/P2 because hes a goof) If you're ever in distress just think of a funny moment you've had with one of your best friends.

4. Last one! This one can work more for anger situations but the first three tend to help me more. Evaluate yourself! Something happened and it made you angry, right? Just think about the situation, but not why it made you angry, think about how to improve yourself next time! Count down from a number like 10 or 5 and as you do list things that you can do next time so you don't get yourself into that sticky situation again. Stay calm! List helpful things not things that are a stab at yourself. Hopefully this can help you avoid a freak out session in the locker room!

Hope these helped!
Have a nice day!

-Cos

 

[Tubby]

I get stressed out a LOT, especially involving school. It's not so much anger that I have to chill out with but stress instead. Anyway though here are some tips!

1. If I feel overwhelmed I stop what I'm doing and I look at fish. I know it sounds kinda weird but my family owns both a large fish tank and a koi pond in our back yard. If I ever feel overwhelmed I just take a moment to go look at my fish swimming around. It's calming!

2. Think of something you like. I know it sounds cliche but thinking of something you like while in a state of panic can really help!

3. Think of someone that makes you laugh/happy. If I'm ever worried about something and need to calm down fast I always think of a person who I've had some good times with. Specifically funny ones! (This person for me is @Josh/P2 because hes a goof) If you're ever in distress just think of a funny moment you've had with one of your best friends.

4. Last one! This one can work more for anger situations but the first three tend to help me more. Evaluate yourself! Something happened and it made you angry, right? Just think about the situation, but not why it made you angry, think about how to improve yourself next time! Count down from a number like 10 or 5 and as you do list things that you can do next time so you don't get yourself into that sticky situation again. Stay calm! List helpful things not things that are a stab at yourself. Hopefully this can help you avoid a freak out session in the locker room!

Hope these helped!
Have a nice day!

-Cos

Thank you so much I really appreciate you putting in the time to help.

 

[DatShop]

- First of all make sure to know what makes you angry, if you can just walk away from that situation.

- As you mentioned yourself keep breathing, and if you can find some water, drink it.

- Find an activity where you can release your anger.

You play hockey if you really enjoy it keep playing hockey, but maybe you would be better off if you did a solo-sport like tennis or boxing this way you can always adjust things for yourself and not rely on your teammates.

And remember, keep smiling: anywhere, anytime!

 

[Quinny]

I played softball for nearly ten years of my life before I had a career ending injury to my pitching arm. It was really frustrating not being able to pitch full games anymore, and a lot of the time I was carrying my whole team on my shoulders because we weren't very good, or outmatched at some of the bigger tournaments during the summer. It was a lot of pressure! And it was really hard keeping myself from getting angry. Here's some of the tips I used both in the game and out to keep things under wraps :)

1. Focus on what's important. It's best to not take anything personally, because if you find yourself with a bad attitude, it spreads. Everyone else catches the bad vibes, and things fall apart. So focus on the win, and the teamwork it takes to get there. Sometimes calls are made by officials that are out of your hands, that's the way of the game. Getting more upset only pushes favoritism to the other side.
2. Channel that rage into motivation for improvement or passion for the game. We all have to motivate and push ourselves to do better. If you did get the chance to get back out there, show them what an amazing player you are! Build your team back up! That's what being a teammate is all about.
I would get mad about people putting me down and saying that I wasn't good enough. That's all it took to ever motivate me to do anything, and I worked really hard to prove them wrong and I would practice something every day. Use your rage as an advantage!
3. Hang with your pets if you've got them. Something that always really calms me down is playing with my dog or my cat. Animals really do have a calming effect and connecting with them relaxes me. I've always been a really big animal person though. Obviously this is one just for general life and not mid-game.