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Anger is a powerful emotion. If it isn't handled correctly it may have destructive effects for yourself and your loved ones. Uncontrolled anger can lead to assaults, broken china and household items, physical abuse, self-harm or unnecessarily arguments. What I mean by unnecessarily arguments is that the person who is the angry one seems to cause the arguments over little things for the sake of an excuse to vent their anger. The worst thing for the person on the receiving end of this anger is that they often wonder "What Did I Do?"
THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS ON YOUR BODY
Anger triggers the body's 'fight or flight' response. Other emotions that trigger this response include anxiety, excitement and fear. The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. The brain shunts blood towards the muscles in readiness for physical exertion. Also your blood pressure and heart rate rises along with your respiration increase. Also on the increase is your body temperature along with the skin perspiring. The mind is sharpened and focused.
HEALTH PROBLEMS
Over a period of time, the constant flood of those stress chemicals and the associated metabolic changes on your body that accompany recurrent unmanaged anger eventually causes harm to many different systems of your body. Listed below are some of the short and long-term health problems that have been linked to unmanaged anger. There are:
• Headache
• Digestion problems such as abdominal pain
• Insomnia
• Increased anxiety
• Depression (which is usually anger turned in on yourself rather than others)
• High blood pressure
• Skin problems, such as eczema
• Heart attack
• Stroke
EXPRESSING ANGER IN HEALTHY WAYS
Now that we can see how damaging unexpressed or uncontrollable anger can do - the next question is what to do about it? The following suggestions on how to express your anger in a healthy ways include:
• If you feel out of control - talk a walk away from the situation temporarily, until you have calmed down.
• Recognize and accept the emotion as normal and part of life.
• Try to pinpoint the exact reason on why you may be angry. Unfortunately for some people, this anger actually comes from the past - usually their childhood. Did you come from a physically abusive childhood? In that case ongoing therapy may be required.
• Once you have identified the problem consider coming up with different strategies on how to remedy the situation.
• Do something physical, such as going for a bike ride, play a sport or a run in the park.
SUGGESTIONS FOR LONG TERM ANGER MANAGEMENT
The way you typically express anger may take some time to modify. After all, long-term change does happen overnight. If it does, it also goes back to the old negative patterns. So listed below are some suggestions to assist in this long-term project - your own anger management program.
• Keep a diary of your anger outbursts, to try to identify the triggers.
• Consider assertiveness training or learning about techniques of conflict resolution.
• See a counselor or psychologist if you still feel angry about events that occurred in your past.
• Take regular exercise - People who are stressed are more likely to experience anger. Numerous worldwide studies have documented that regular exercise can improve mood and reduce stress levels. The effect may be twofold, physical exertion burns up stress chemicals and it also boast production of mood-regulating neurotransmitters in the brain, including endorphins and catecholamines.
What is listed below is what needs to change.
Many people express their anger in inappropriate and harmful ways that include:
• Anger explosions - some people have very little control over their anger and tend to explode in rages. Raging anger may lead to physical abuse or violence. A person who doesn't control their hot temper can isolate themselves from family and friends. Some people who fly into rages often have low self-esteem and use their anger as a way to manipulate others to feel powerful.
• Anger repression - some people consider that anger is an inappropriate or "bad" emotion, and choose to suppress it. However, bottled anger often turns into depression and anxiety. Some people vent their bottled anger at innocent parties, such as children or pets. |
