After a frustrating day at work or fight with your significant other, calling a friend to complain might seem like a good idea.
Venting won't help you manage your anger, though, according to a recent paper published in Clinical Psychology Review.
Researchers studied how effective arousal-increasing activities, like venting or running, and arousal-decreasing activities, like meditation or yoga, are at calming a person down.
They analyzed 154 studies involving more than 10,000 participants and found that arousal-decreasing activities were better at helping a person manage their anger.
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Next time you want to unload your problems on a friend, take a beat and consider meditating instead.
Where am I placing my attention?
If you've never meditated before, it can be hard to know if you're practicing in a way that will prove beneficial.
Jade Weston, a senior meditation producer at Ten Percent Happier who has been meditating for 15 years, offered CNBC Make It three guiding questions you can ask yourself while practicing:
- Where am I placing my attention? Take note of where your mind wanders and try to refocus it on your breath.
- How am I feeling right now? Think about what mood you're in. Don't try to change it, just take stock of how you're feeling.
- What is my intention? Remind yourself why you wanted to pursue meditation. This can motivate you to continue.
Answering these questions can help you feel more present in the moment.
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'15 to 20 minutes will give you just the changes that you need'
You don't have to meditate for a long time in order to see positive results, Vishen Lakhiani, a meditation expert and CEO of Mindvalley told CNBC Make It.
Lakhiani recommends meditating for no more than 20 minutes a day. But, sometimes, you only need one minute to reset.
"For most people, 15 to 20 minutes will give you just the changes that you need," he said. "You can take a one- to three-minute dip into peacefulness, and you can see remarkable results."
A few minutes of silence could help lower your frustration levels, more so than ranting to a relative.
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