Anybody know how to solve anger?

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I’m a teen boy who plays my fair share of video games. I also tend to get very emotional when playing games, and become extremely angry when I die or lose. I don’t know much about when anger becomes a mortal sin, but I assume that me getting angered to the point of wanting to break something is most likely sinful. My first question is; is it a mortal sin when you are reacting to something like a video game death and just explode with anger for a short time? My second question is; how can I stop myself from becoming so angry at games, without actually stopping playing them? Thanks for your advice and God bless!
 
You are going to have to stop them - at least until you know how to control your anger.

No way around that.
 
Count slowly to ten. Tell when you’re about ready to lose it, put the controller down, step away from the keyboard, whatever. And slowly count to ten. Twenty if ten doesn’t do it.
 
Thank you for your thoughtful resonse (name removed by moderator)! I may just have to do that
 
Slowly is the key. Don’t go 12345678910! with one breath. Take a good 10 seconds between numbers, and focus on the counting.
 
Well if you really feel like you want to break something, break your controller. Problem solved.

Seriously, you need to get at the cause of your anger. Lighten up, because it’s just a game. If you are getting that angry over a game, that’s bad. Try the counting as someone suggested, but if that doesn’t work, I would suggest talking to someone about your anger issues.
 
Anger is just wasted energy unless it is ‘just anger’ and just anger should be directed to changing a situation or an evil in another direction. In life you can not ‘win’ all the time, but you can change how the world goes 'round. You already know how losing and getting ‘dead’ affects you so this is a non- constructive activity. Anger hurts you and it may also hurt others. I think I would set gaming aside for a while and pursue other less stressful entertainment. “Only you can prevent forest fires.” It is up to you. Pray. Peace. P. S. You could set gaming aside during Lent or just game on Sunday.
 
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I used to get angry when playing video games, too. Try saying a prayer right before you start playing and ask God to help you to control your temper and not use bad language. Do this every 10 minutes if necessary.

If you get angry maybe stop 15 minutes or more as a way to cool off and focus on gaining your composure again.

It is just a sill game afterall. lol

Hope some of that might help. God Bless.
 
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I agree with Irishmom2. You need to think a little more deeply over why a game is causing you to get this angry.

Sometimes immediately reacting to anger with “oh no, this is a sin, I must not feel these feelings!” just drives it deeper inside and keeps you from getting to the root cause of the anger. You’ve realized, by the fact that you made your initial post, that your anger is disproportionate to what’s actually going on (the video game). If indeed you are getting this angry over just a game, you need to learn some anger management techniques and/or stop playing the game.

But if you stop playing the game and find that your anger just transfers itself to some other relatively minor situation, then this could be a sign that your anger has deeper roots and you may need to do some heavy thinking or even talk to a counselor to get to the bottom of what’s causing it.
 
Someboy113 said:
I’m a teen boy who plays my fair share of video games. I also tend to get very emotional when playing games, and become extremely angry when I die or lose. I don’t know much about when anger becomes a mortal sin, but I assume that me getting angered to the point of wanting to break something is most likely sinful. My first question is; is it a mortal sin when you are reacting to something like a video game death and just explode with anger for a short time? My second question is; how can I stop myself from becoming so angry at games, without actually stopping playing them? Thanks for your advice and God bless!
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Anger arises from thwarted desire. Having less desire to win the game, in this case, would be temperance. Another word for it is detachment. Ask yourself the question, “Am I willing to give up winning this game?”
 
this sounds like an anger management problem. What do your parents say about this?
 
Anger is natural. You can’t suppress it completely. Unless ofcourse you are aiming at auditioning for the next Vulcan ambassador in Start Trek? 🤔

Redirection is usually the best way I find. Put the energy to use in some other way and take a break.

When I’m overly frustrated and angry - I hit the gym. Along with a good 90% of those I serve with lol.
 
I second @ErraticFaith that doing something physical will help you when anger begins to affect you and gets out of control. It’s also a great way to redirect your energy into …hm… the real world…(sucks I know) so you can overcome your passion for games.
If you get angry easily maybe it’s not such a bad thing because in time you know how to control it and get angry at really unjust things not the fairy tale. I rarely get angry but when I do it just sort of burns me. I don’t want to hit anyone but I do want to say some hurtful words and stab the subject’s soul (feminine anger yes the worst). It surprises me when it appears because I rarely get angry and I am like thrown in the sea. So you see not getting angry ever is not necessarily a good thing.
I love that movie about anger management! “I feel pretty…” 🤣 You should see it, super funny.
 
I always regret it when I lost my temper. Always.

I think you have given good advice. You have to avoid getting angry and if it is caused by certain thing that you do, maybe you should avoid it, or if you still do it, remember that when the same feeling of anger comes over you, realize that you should not react to it.

If you cannot control yourself, then you have no choice but to stop with whatever your activity which leads you to your anger.

God bless you.
 
The point of a game is that it’s supposed to be fun. If you take it too seriously it’s not fun.

Maybe get a different game.
 
Reference games and fun;

Certainly that’s the overall objective but it doesn’t really account for competitive spirit; of which frustration from an overzealous passion/desire to win can develop.

That’s why I always encourage redirection (over chastisement) because to a point, there is nothing wrong with competitive spirit and driving to achieve - being disappointed when you don’t.

You have to learn discipline and control so that when these feelings manifest, you can deal with them and NOT have to quit your chosen activity.

If you are having issues with a simple game - imagine what it’s like as an Olympic athlete representing your country.

Sure enough, we live in a weird and wonderful Information Age; where eSports are rapidly becoming more prominent in youth culture.

Because of the destructive nature (on the body and health) of excess gaming (happens easily if you are competitive) you MUST learn to take breaks and that can coincide with directing your anger into a different activity like hitting the gym.

That balance will create harmony against the ‘unnatural’ activities of gameplay.

Also bare in mind diet. Gamers routinely have poor diet from laziness. Don’t compromise diet or hydration for gaming. If you can’t avoid playing for longer periods - pre prepare and eat.

If not for your health, do it because it will increase your likelihood of winning! At pretty much anything as it happens.

👍
 
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The root of most anger is pride, the disordered inclination to control the outcome of events or people, the putting of one’s security in how one deals with events, masters them, etc.

So we attack anger by going after pride…and the best way to go after pride is by strengthening the “opposing virtue”, which in the case of pride is humility.

We strengthen virtues by practicing them, by little acts, accumulated, habituated.

So we make “acts of humility”…first prayer acts…“Lord I want to be more humble…help me more”. We say that a lot, and we say it to God, with God.

Then we look for ways we can be more humble…and we perform them and reflect on them with God.

St Josemaria Escriva:

“That joke, that witty remark held on the tip of your tongue; the cheerful smile for those who annoy you; that silence when you’re unjustly accused; your friendly conversation with people whom you find boring and tactless; the daily effort to overlook one irritating detail or another in the persons who live with you… this, with perseverance, is indeed solid interior mortification.”

He also said:

"Allow me to remind you that among other evident signs of a lack of humility are:
  • Thinking that what you do or say is better than what others do or say
  • Always wanting to get your own way
  • Arguing when you are not right or — when you are — insisting stubbornly or with bad manners
  • Giving your opinion without being asked for it, when charity does not demand you to do so
  • Despising the point of view of others
  • Not being aware that all the gifts and qualities you have are on loan
  • Not acknowledging that you are unworthy of all honour or esteem, even the ground you are treading on or the things you own
  • Mentioning yourself as an example in conversation
  • Speaking badly about yourself, so that they may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you
  • Making excuses when rebuked
  • Hiding some humiliating faults from your director, so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you
  • Hearing praise with satisfaction, or being glad that others have spoken well of you
  • Being hurt that others are held in greater esteem than you
  • Refusing to carry out menial tasks
  • Seeking or wanting to be singled out
  • Letting drop words of self-praise in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or skill, your professional prestige…
  • Being ashamed of not having certain possessions…"
 
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