Healthy Ways of expressing anger

It is very common and indeed an every day occurrence which all human cede to, irrespective of age, race and status. Unfortunately nothing or little is being reported about it while more attention is given to other diseases and ailments considered to be more life threatening like; Aids, cancer, hypertension etc. Unlike other unhealthy conditions, it is being under-estimated. However, it could aggravate or cause more health problems in most cases. Several people comprising the low, high and mighty had lost their life because they could not curtail or control it.

Anger is a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance. It is natural to get angry especially when we encounter issues or challenges that tend to try our patience as we struggle daily to make ends meet. Such challenges are more common in urban cities where no body want to be slowed down or obstructed by the other person, which of course is bound to happen in any civilized society. The number of times and extent one is tried does not really count in this regard, what matters is how one reacts or manages the situation.

While some people consider that anger is an inappropriate or 'bad' emotion, and choose to suppress it, yet another group would flare up at the slightest provocation or when they are tensed. This is because they have very little control over their anger and tend to explode in rage. However, bottling anger is not the best alternative either, since bottled anger often turns into depression and anxiety and raging anger to physical abuse or violence.

The effects of anger on health have more to do with duration than frequency and intensity. The normal experience of overt anger lasts only a few minutes. But the subtle forms of anger, such as resentment, impatience, irritability, grouchiness, etc., can go on for hours and days at a time. Consistent, prolonged levels of anger give a person a five times greater chance of dying before age 50. Anger elevates blood pressure, increases threat of stroke, heart disease, cancer, depression, anxiety disorders, and, in general, depresses the immune system (angry people have lots of little aches and pains or get a lot of colds and bouts of flu or headaches or upset stomachs). To make matters worse, angry people tend to seek relief from the ill-moods caused by anger through other health-endangering habits, such as smoking and drinking, or through compulsive behavior such as workaholism and perfectionism.

The constant flood of stress chemicals and associated metabolic changes that accompany recurrent unmanaged anger can eventually cause harm to many different systems of the body. Some of the short and long term health problems that have been linked to unmanaged anger include: headache, digestion problems, abdominal pain, insomnia, increased anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, skin problems such as eczema, heart attack, Stroke etc.

Laboratory experiments have shown that even subtle forms of anger impair problem-solving abilities and general performance competence. In addition to increasing error rates, anger narrows and makes rigid mental focus, tending to obscure alternative perspectives.

Anger can be managed best if those factors that trigger it and in a case where it cannot be avoided one is advised to control his/her emotion. Other healthy ways of expressing anger include: Recognizing and accepting the emotion as normal and part of life. Pinpoint the exact reasons why you feel angry, and once you have identified the problem consider coming up with different strategies on how to remedy the situation. If you feel out of control, walk away from the situation temporarily, until you cool down. Learn to relax. See a counselor if you still feel angry about events that occurred in your past. Take regular exercise, something physical, such as going for a run or playing sport.