leading anger astray

I'd like to know what other peoples ways of dealing with anger or frustration that would normally cause them to go into a depressed state are. The kind of thing that if you tried to deal with it you would just get depressed about not being able to figure it out. These are the sort of things that can't be dealt with and you know it (world hunger, the past, other peoples lives etc....

I sort of envision an intense sort of destruction relating to whatever is causing me the problem. Then I think to myself that it doesn't really matter and deal with it in a more rational manner. The intense destruction is needed to help get my mind of the deppresive track long enough for my brain to deal with the problem at hand.

For me, when I spend too many mental cycles thinking about any problem, the problem becomes oppressive. It could be anything from the fact that there's a spider in my living room (I'm afraid of them) to some seeming great personal injustice to everything that is wrong with the world..

My solution, learned from a psychologist friend, is to note when I am investing too much energy in a problem, take a break from it, and then approach it again when it isn't so important (if possible). With practice, it's become easier to pay attention to my thoughts and cut-off when they start spiraling. Very few problems need to be dealt with immediately. Some even solve themselves over time or turn out to not really be problems but truly opportinities or motiviations for change.

Then, of course, there's the prayer:

Higher Power (God, whatever you like) please grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

(I'd attribute this prayer if I knew who wrote it!)