Health & Wellness

Anger and its effects:

Anger is our way of expressing a range of feelings like frustration, hurt, jealousy, embarrassment, guilt, pressure, unequal treatment or inability to control a situation or feeling misunderstood.

It can be triggered in a fraction of seconds but can leave a lasting negative impact on our health. Learning to express anger in an appropriate way is very important and is considered as a positive emotion.

How anger is affecting your health?

●  Cardiovascular diseases - Anger puts your heart at risk. An angry outburst doubles the chance of having a heart attack.

●  Risk of Stroke - Habit of lashing out regularly should be limited as it increases the risk of having a stroke from a blood clot to the brain or internal bleeding in the brain.

●  Anxiety and anger go hand in hand, it makes anxiety worse.

●  Weakens the immune system - A study shows that people with habitual anger outbursts are diagnosed with dip in levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A, the first line of defense against various diseases.

●  Anger is linked to depression - It leads to making wrong decisions and losing focus in life.

●  Respiratory issues - The lungs release stress hormones (associated with anger), if a person is constantly hostile with others, creating inflammation in the airways and damaging lung function.

●  It can literally shorten your lifespan.

Tips for letting go of your anger:

●  Allow yourself to breathe deeply.

When we get anxious or angry, we often hold our breath or take rapid, shallow breaths, instead we must take a deep breath and try to calm ourselves.

●  Identify the cause.

Keep a diary and start noting down the times when you were angry, the things that trigger you and the reasons behind it. You’ll recognise when you are likely to get upset and it will give you time to respond in a healthier manner.

●  Calm your body.

Try to plan alternatives like take 10 mins before speaking to cool off or count slowly till 10 or repeat a calming phrase or go drink a glass of water.

●  Try to keep yourself busy in some interesting activities that pull your focus back into the present moment.

●  Try to visualize your happy place when you are too stressed or frustrated. Think of a real or imaginary place that makes you feel peaceful and safe.

●  Mindfully move your body with yoga or other calming exercises.

●  Allow yourself to express some of your anger to a trusted friend or family member after a particularly bad day, prevent it from bubbling up inside.

●  Give yourself a break from that stressful situation by taking some personal time

●  Instead of dwelling on the day’s misfortune, try to focus on things that went well or you appreciate.

●  At last, it is normal to feel upset or angry from time to time but if you constantly feel overwhelmed by anger, it might be time to seek external help.  :)

 
Sakshi Bisht | Life Within

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