How Anger Makes You Physically Sick

Published on by mariadorfner
 
 
 

Keep it in? Let it out? Both can be hazardous to your health.

Anger or rage can lead to physical and emotional problems. 

Angry people shout, throw things, have tantrums and can get aggressive or violent. They also harm their own health.

 

Understand anger can stem from unresolved grief.

Grief from any type of loss: job, financial, death, divorce, breakup, illness –or suppressing feelings about being wronged or hurt with pent-up frustrations trigger anger.

In other instances, it can be a side effect of medications, mixing different medications or stopping one abruptly without medical supervision.

 

Even hunger, not getting enough sleep or being out of balance mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually.

 

When unchecked, anger can get redirected an innocent people or inanimate objects.  

Constructive anger doesn’t hurt or harm anyone or anything else. It allows the anger to be felt and allows the mind and body to calm down prior to responding, so it doesn’t harm one’s own health.

 

Physical Effects of Anger

Anger affects your heart, brain, and muscles.  Physical signs and symptoms of anger include:

Emotional Effects of Anger

There are a number of emotions before, during, or after an episode of anger:

  • irritability
  • frustration
  • anxiety
  • rage
  • stress
  • feeling overwhelmed
  • guilt

Anger is one of the 7 deadly emotions of caregiving. Get mad when you must — but don’t make a habit of it.  

It negatively affects  your body and brain.

On the one hand, an angry outburst can be a stress release, better than keeping seething feelings bottled up inside.

Chronic anger is what can make you physically sick.

Frequent angry episodes can raise your risk of heart attacks and strokes and weaken your immune system.

Anger inside your body: The heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and blood flow to muscles is reduced; glucose levels and adrenaline rise to give the muscles a shot of energy for the “fight or flight” response.

But never expressing anger when that’s what you’re feeling can be downright deadly.

Swedish research shows that those who walked away from conflict without saying anything (though they had reason to be upset) had double the risk of a heart attack compared to men who challenged authority.

Unexpressed anger is also linked to a lowered immune system.

The common thread: hostility seething through the body, whether expressed often or withheld often.

W

What helps?

 

It helps to learn to deal with hotheads without blowing your own top and to learn ways to cope with the frustration that loved ones can trigger.

 

Exerpt reprinted with permission from caring.com | By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.comsenior editor

 More here:  http://www.caring.com/blogs/fyi-daily/how-anger-makes-you-physically-sick

 

Tips on How to Respond to Anger Situations:

 

Step Back and Breathe

Count to ten before you say or do anything and be mindful of your breathing. If you still don’t feel calm, count to ten again…and breathe.

 

Ask yourself:

  • What am I angry about?

  • What is hurting me?

  • What is going on that is not ok for me?

  • Did this person intend to hurt me?

When possible, remove yourself from the source of the stress and anger

Go for a walk or exercise. Moderate physical activity can be a productive outlet for your emotions. Besides releasing pent-up energy, your general physical feeling will improve.

Avoid emotionally charged and strenuous workouts, they can feed into the anger.

 

Imagine a calm relaxing scene.

  • Remember a time when you felt at peace.

  • Close your eyes, and travel back there.

  • Allow yourself to be there for a while and feel yourself release.

Empathize with the other person.

  • Try to see the situation from his or her point of view.

  • Remember that there is always more than one way to see anything.

Write in a journal. Keep track of your anger:

  • What did “I” get angry about?

  • What did “I” do or say in response?

  • How did “I” feel, physically and emotionally?

By identifying your sources of anger, you can learn to anticipate and respond to anger situations.

 

Use “I” statements when talking about the problem or situation instead of criticizing or blaming the other person.

 

For example, use “I” am upset that the kitchen didn’t get cleaned after dinner,” instead of “Why is the kitchen still a mess?”, or “You should have cleaned it!”

Stop Brooding or Stewing. “Mind talk” is a major anger signal and one of the most destructive things you can do to yourself.

  • Rage starts when you lose control of your own thoughts or feelings.

  • You can control what you say.

  • Talk to the person you have anger with.

  • Share your feelings with a close friend or family member.

  • Seek professional help

For immediate relief of stress and anger click here!

 

Remember, there’s a reason the first 4 letters in the word HEALTH IS HEAL.

 

You must heal yourself of the pain that’s causing you to feel angry. Talking to a friend or professional about it is the first step.

 

Take good care of yourself mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually every day.

 

Blog contact: maria.dorfner@yahoo.com

6 thoughts on “How Anger Makes You Physically Sick”

  1. Pingback: acknowledging anger’s function (since a whole spirit is inclusive) « JRFibonacci's blog: partnering with reality

  3. Aw, this was an exceptionally good post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to create a superb article…
    but what can I say… I procrastinate a lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything
    done.

    Reply

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