Advantages of Anger Management

According to the American Psychological Association, "Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion." Mild forms of anger can include dislike, displeasure or irritation. Anger can be a reaction to criticism, threat or frustration or it can be a secondary response to the feelings of loneliness, sadness or fear. But full-blown rage can be destructive. It hampers our judgment, mental clarity and capability of thinking which can lead us to do and say irrational, unreasonable and hurtful things. Chronic uncontrolled anger can create serious problems in personal relationships and work and degrade an individual's overall quality of life. Therefore, controlling anger is extremely important for the sake of yourself and your loved ones. Anger management can be of great help to those who are not able to control their rage and emotions on their own.

7 Ways in Which Anger Can Lead to Physical Problems

Anger is not just a state of mind. It has serious impact on our physical health as well. Anger can increase heart rate, trigger blood pressure levels and shoot up adrenalin and noradrenaline.

Violent Anger Outburst Puts the Heart at Great Risk:

One of the most damaging effects of anger is its impact on cardiac health. “In the two hours after an angry outburst, the chance of having a heart attack doubles,” says Chris Aiken, MD, an instructor in clinical psychiatry at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and director of the Mood Treatment Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Suppressing anger, where people make great effort to control it or express it indirectly is also associated with heart disease. A study shows that people with anger proneness as a personality trait are at twice the risk of coronary disease than their less angry peers. Identify and address your feeling in order to protect your heart.

Anger Increases the Risk of Stroke:

If you are prone to violent outbursts of anger then careful. Yet another study shows that there is a three times higher risk of having a stroke from a blood clot to the brain or bleeding within the brain during the two hours after an angry outburst. However, Mary Fristad, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the Ohio State University says that you can learn to control these angry explosions "To move into positive coping, you need to first identify what your triggers, and then figure out how to change your response,”. She suggests doing some deep breathing or using assertive communication skills or taking a time out.

Anger Can Weaken the Immune System:

People who are affected by chronic anger then to fall sick more often. A study done by Harvard Scientists found that a just recalling an angry experience from the past causes a six-hour dip in levels of antibody Immunoglobulin A, the body's first line of defense against infection. For people with chronic anger problems, the best way to protect the immune system is to follow a few anger management techniques such as reconstruction of thoughts, assertive communication, effective problem solving, etc.

Anger Adds Up on Anxiety:

If you suffer from tension and anxiety then it is necessary to know that anger and anxiety support and propagate each other. In a study published in the journal Cognitive Behavior Therapy, researchers found that anger can exacerbate symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, a condition marked by excessive worry and anxiety that interferes with an individual’s normal life. People with chronic anxiety have higher levels of internalized, suppressed anger along with hostility.

Anger And Depression Are Linked:

Numerous studies show that anger and aggression are closely linked to depression. Instead of an angry outburst, in case of depression a person has passive anger, where he ruminates about it but does not take any action. The best way to get out of depression mixed with passive anger is to deviate the mind to some engaging activity and stop thinking about it. An engaging activity where you learn some thing new fill up the mind and engages your focus on the present moment, therefore, there is no room left for the thoughts that stir anger and depression.

Anger Hurts Your Lungs:

Chronic anger can have a damaging effect on the lungs. Feelings of anger cause a surge in the level of stress hormones that causes inflammation of the airways and increases the risk of respiratory problems. In a study done by Harvard University scientists on 670 men it was seen that men with the highest hostility ratings had significantly worse lung capacity compared to those with low hostility ratings.

Anger Affects Longevity:

It is true that happy people live longer. Stress is very closely linked to general health. Chronic stress and anger shortens lifespan. In a study done by the University of Michigan it has been found that couples who hold onto their anger have shorter life span compared to those who address their anger and resolve it in a rational and sensible manner.

Advantages of Anger Management Therapy

Anger management is a procedure through which an individual acquired the skills to indentify the signs and triggers of anger and as a result he can take necessary steps to deal with the situation in a positive way. Anger management does not asks you to stop being angry or hold back anger, it simples teaches you express it appropriately so that it does not harm you or anyone else. Here are a few reasons why controlling anger can be advantageous for you.

Judgment:

Anger affects our thought process leaving us incapable of taking account of the situation and makes us prone to making mistakes. Anger management tips and techniques aim at channelizing the anger in a better way so that you do not lose control over your mind. This in turn helps you to analyze the situation in a better way so that you can take the right action.

Improved Communication:

One of the main reasons for anger is misunderstandings which in turn arise from faulty communication or miscommunication between the two parties. A lot of anger, stress and anxiety can be avoided if better communications lines can be pursued. Channelizing your anger in a constructive and non-stressful way not only helps in better communication, but also makes the situation more approachable. Anger management therapy helps in improving your communication so that you can turn in to a more approachable person.

Developing Empathy:

Developing empathy for the other party goes a long way in understanding the other in a better light and it helps to reduce the changes of further conflicts and disputes in future. Training in anger management techniques helps in developing empathy. In many cases, anger and conflict develops because both the parties refuse to see the situation from each other's point of view. But when you develop empathy for the other person, you start seeing the situation from his/her perspective and understand the problem in a better way, which leaves no room for conflict.

Fewer Disputes:

In most cases, huge fights and conflicts start from small and silly disputes and differences in opinion that goes out of control. Exercises in anger management help to identify the source of the conflict so that it can be stopped at the initial stage. This becomes possible when a person is able to treat differences in opinions merely as opinions rather than personal attacks.

Healthier Relationships:

People who suffer from serious anger-related issues try to stay away from their loved ones when they realize that their violent outbursts are hurting them. The people who are closest to us are often the first victims of our anger outbursts. Anger management techniques help in controlling anger and channelizing in a better way so that you can lead a happy and healthy life with your close ones free of ugly and aggressive anger outbursts.

What is Anger Management Therapy?

Anger can be triggered by a variety of factors. Understanding and examining your thoughts is the first step towards managing your anger. Anger management therapy is designed to abate the feeling and triggers of anger so that you can explore and analyze the underlying issues. This therapy can challenge some of your previous beliefs about anger and show you how your anger is affecting your relationships and impacting your quality of life. By acknowledging and accepting the anger issues you will be able to understand how to channelize anger in a healthy and safe way so that you can cope up with your grievances without hurting anyone.

Through anger management techniques and exercises you will be able to pinpoint your frustrations at an early stage which will give you the opportunity to resolve it and express your needs while remaining calm and in control of the situation. Anger management therapy can empower you to reach your goals, solve problems and meet your needs without allowing the destructive emotions to take over your life.

If you face problems in expressing your negative emotions and anger then work with a psychiatrist or therapist who will be able to guide you towards effective anger management.