Anger is a natural emotion most people experience in their lives from time to time that impacts health in a range of ways. In fact, anger from a primal standpoint is a survival instinct meant to protect the person.
While anger isn’t necessarily a problem, it is definitely linked to health.
It affects various aspects of life and sometimes worsens specific health issues.
No worries. I’m here to help.
As you might know, I am a bestselling wellness author with about 2 million books sold globally.
Plus I founded a groundbreaking video course called The Anxiety Cure.
I love sharing tools to help people live their happiest and and most fulfilling lives.
With this mind, I created this article all about the importance of anger management when it comes to protecting your overall health.
Here are some ways anger can negatively impact health as an emotion and some proven ways to avoid it.
Numerous studies have linked depression with angry outbursts and aggression, particularly in men. Passive anger, where you ponder about it without taking action, is common in depression. If you are struggling with depression and anger is a factor, the best thing to do is to get busy and stop thinking too much.
Indulge in any sort of activity which fully absorbs you, such as gold, needlepoint biking, etc. These activities will fill your mind completely and pull your focus toward the present moment. So, there would be no room left for anger to stir when you are in that phase.
It is rightly said that happy people live longer. Stress is tightly linked to general health. Stress and anger can considerably shorten your lifespan. A study conducted over 17 years by the University of Michigan found that couples who held in their anger had a shorter lifespan than those who expressed their mad phase. I share more about this in my course Secrets of Happy Couples.
If you are someone who is uncomfortable expressing themselves, particularly your negative emotions, consider working with a therapist to be more expressive. However, make sure you learn ways to express anger in healthy ways. For instance, if someone invades your privacy, you should tell them. Learn to directly tell people when you are mad about something and what you need.
Anxiety and anger tend to go hand-in-hand if you worry a lot. Anger problems can worsen your anxiety. A study published in the journal Cognitive Behavior Therapy in 2012 states that anger can aggravate symptoms of a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
In this condition, a person worries excessively and uncontrollably that it interferes with their everyday life. Higher levels of anger were reported in people with GAD. Additionally, hostility and unexpressed anger greatly contributed to the severity of GAD symptoms.
One way to deal with the combination of anxiety and anger is to use stress toys. Stress toys for anger management range from fidget spinners to jumbo-sized stress balls that are ideal for physical and emotional relief therapy.
The stress balls let you squeeze it, stretch it, or even smash it with both hands. And fidgets are great if you are at your desk working or attending a class virtually.
When not handled properly, anger can cause irreparable damage in a relationship. For instance, if your anger is always your response, even in situations that don’t demand anger might add trouble to a relationship.
It is also easy to get angry when someone reacts angrily to you. But then the argument will only continue to escalate until both of you have decided to go the opposite route. When neither person can stay calm, it turns disagreements into something huge. And when anger goes too far, it can result in verbal, emotional, or physical abuse. Learn tools to stay calm during times of conflict and maintain your boundaries in my course Manage and Avoid Drama Llamas.
Anger and feeling angry are often linked to stunting personal potential and achievement, whether it be professional or personal achievements and goals.
When you are faced with a situation that provokes your anger, you might find that things happen fast.
However, learn to pause and reflect before responding.
Anger should be managed rather than stifled because it can offer you a lot of information about what you want, what you don’t, and what you should do next. So, consider it a signal you should pay attention to instead of an emotion you should be ashamed of.
Anger, when unmanaged, can result in bigger problems than the issues that triggered your outrage. Pay attention to how you feel when angry, analyze where they are coming from, and figure out the best course of action to deal with the anger and the situation that triggered it.
Explore my therapist recommended video course: The Anxiety Cure.
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