Everybody gets angry, but out-of-control rage isn’t good for you or your teammates. When you can’t control your anger, you may get into loud arguments or worse: purposely betraying or endangering your teammates. But anger also plays havoc with your own body. Research shows that anger can increase people’s — especially men’s — chances of developing coronary heart disease and having worse outcomes if they already have heart disease. Anger can also lead to stress-related problems, such as insomnia, digestive problems, and headaches.
You can learn to control your anger, however. You could both benefit from these techniques next time you fire up Halo 5.
Relax.
It’s very simple to say, but hard to do. What you need to realize is, at the end of the day, Halo is just a video game. You’re not going to remember the people you played against an hour later. Your rank, win%, or k/d is meaningless and you won’t even remember it. There’s much more important things to focus on than Halo 5, as fun and amazing as it is.
Cognitive Restructuring
Avoid words like “never” or “always” when talking about yourself or others. For example, “I always miss with the sniper rifle”, make you feel your anger is justified and there’s no way to solve the problem. A better phrase would be “I’m off with the sniper at the moment, I need to focus more”. Have a more optimistic outlook on what’s presented to you.
Better Communication
Usually when you are angry, you don’t want to talk anymore. But that doesn’t mean you can’t listen either. Ask (don’t demand) your team to call out more to help yourself (and your team) more. When you start to get into a groove, talk more. You’re not helping yourself or your team keeping silent.
Problem-Solving.
This is a tough concept because no one wants to admit to their faults. Take a step back and figure out why you are getting angry. Is it because you get spawn trapped? Always seem to be out numbered? Instead of complaining, think about why it’s happening and come up with solutions. Watching replays of not just myself, but other players, is a great tool to find your weaknesses, I do it all the time.
Environmental Change.
Sometimes you just need a change of scenery. If you played 20 straight games at slayer, getting frustrated every time, maybe it’s time to switch to a different playlist, preferably one that’s less intense such as BTB or a social playlist. Personally, I find SWAT relaxing and rewarding, but BTB is good for mindless fun.
