Japanese culture has given us way to deal with anger that is simple, direct and non-confronting.

Emotions add flavor to our lives, but sometimes, they can become overwhelming. It's important to learn how to manage anger, in particular, effectively. Research recently published points to an ancient Japanese tradition that may prove helpful for many of us.

The procedure is extremely simple. Write it down, crumple it up, and toss it away. It brings back memories of when I was a young girl. Our school would gather us in the schoolyard on special holy days. We would write something special on small scraps of paper, and they would be collected.

One of the men in charge of the school collected all the scraps and placed them into a large container. Afterward, he set them afire. We believed that our wishes would be carried on the wind, up into the sky, and reach any spirits that might live there, turning it into a ceremony of hope. Yes, we did believe, and it was exciting for all of us.

In Japan, there's a practice called hakidashisara that helps us let go of anger and frustration. It's really simple. But does it work? The scientists asked a research question about finding easy ways for people to have therapeutic interactions in their daily lives. Think of it as a behavioral intervention that you oversee.

Writing something down, whether it is related to anger we're feeling or not, involves many physical processes, and each process can serve a purpose in healing. Whether it's an angry thought or something we would like to have said to someone, it allows us to get that anger out and not keep it locked away, eroding some small part of ourselves. What did the researchers find?

This study shows that throwing away a piece of paper with your written thoughts on what caused an upsetting event calms you down, but keeping the paper did not. Study participants wrote brief thoughts on social issues and received a mean note in the mail with low scores on their writing.

Then, each person wrote about what caused the event and what they thought about it. Half of the people who took part (the disposal group) threw away the paper in the trash, and the other half (the keeping group) put it in a file on their desk.

All participants said they felt more angry after getting the insulting comments. There was one highly interesting difference between the two groups. The ones who disposed of the paper were as calm as they were prior to receiving the note, and the ones who kept the paper experienced increased anger.

We know that trying to suppress anger is ineffective. According to studies, controlling your emotions through denial is the least effective method. This is because it causes more physical and mental stress. Behind this new, effective means of containing anger, control is simple enough.

If someone does not deal with their anger, they might keep thinking about something upsetting that happened. These kinds of thoughts often come up in a self-immersed way. Remembering unpleasant things from the past might amplify your anger and bodily emotions if you dwell on them too much.

Who would want to remember and constantly dwell on something that caused their anger to ignite? Wouldn't all of us like to put that one to bed and carry on with our lives instead of reliving painful, angry past events? Of course we would.

Anger can disrupt our interactions with others and cause unnecessary negativity. Who wants to be around an angry person most of the time? People avoiding these individuals can make the angry person even angrier and cause more issues. I recall working at corporate offices where you could pick out the angry employees because everyone avoided them like the plague. Unfortunately, you sometimes had to interact with them, but you did so with great care.

In the future, if you wish to practice this technique, keep a small pad with you, and be sure to write down those angry comments. Then, at your pleasure, crumple it up, toss the paper away, or put it in the shredder if you are so inclined. Be sure it's a cross-cut shredder so no one can take the note and reconstruct it. You want to make sure that this is destroyed permanently. Does that sound like a plan?