ANGER
I have read many books, articles, stories about anger or anger management. Still, there are people who don’t read these articles or books probably they see it as not important. I decided to write about anger today because there are some things people do overlook that may be of importance to them without them knowing. Our attitude to anger can determine where we find ourselves tomorrow or the next.
WHAT IS ANGER?
Anger is a reaction, an emotional response to a particular situation that offends someone or a person they love. The Longman Dictionary describes angry as ‘felling strong emotions which make you want to shout at someone or hurt them because they have behaved in an unfair, cruel, offensive way, or because you think that a situation is unfair, unacceptable, etc.’ This description highlights the point that anger makes you want to either shout or hurt someone.
Now let’s talk about the effect of anger. While many don’t see this, anger actually causes increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and increased level of adrenaline. This could also be displayed in facial expressions, body language, and sometimes acts of aggression. While anger is completely natural, it should be kept in check. Anger sometimes can be boosted by the urge to correct a problem noticed. It can also be used to motivate one’s self to do something good. When I said it should be kept under check is because it can affect ones well being physically, emotionally, socially, or psychologically. The last three can be dangerous. Having emotional trauma is psychological and is a damage that occurs to the mind as a result of distressing occurrence. Someone who experiences emotional trauma can fall into depression. This can severely affect the social life of the person. The person gradually starts withdrawing from groups, and friends, and then starts having thoughts of suicide or death. That is a major reason why it has to be kept under check.
HOW CAN ANGER BE KEPT UNDER CHECK?
Recall, Anger is completely normal. It shows you have emotions. But what can you do to prevent it from being uncontrolled and dangerous? There are some things that can be done and I’ll be discussing a few.
- Change the scenario: Have you ever thought of looking at a particular scenario differently when you notice someone has annoyed you? That thought can help you overcome the residual anger building up inside you. Thinking of the action that such person would perform in a different scenario might help quell the anger in you. Remember to focus on the positive side of things.
- Change it to Humor: Humor is one of the things that makes us better. There’s a saying, laughter is the best medicine. The more we laugh, the better our feelings. Humor would diffuse rage. Generally, it would take your mind off the anger that was swelling inside of you.
- Calm Down: When one is angry, one tends to jump into conclusions and act on these assumptions. It is always a good thing to calm down, listen and think. In a heated discussion or argument, saying the first thing that comes to your mind when you’re angry can make you say something that would hurt the other person. Intuitively, think through all what response would be best to ensure the argument is not prolonged.
- Relaxation: Deep breathing can help you relax your nerves. Once you can get that relaxed, you can open your mind the right thing, the right words, and the right feeling.
As easy as it seems, it isn’t. It requires effort; strong one by the way. It is something that needs practice, practice, and practice until you can try to keep it under check.
So what do we remember in this discuss, or what points are we taking home? - Anger is normal
- Anger should be kept under check
- The effects of uncontrolled anger (psychological, emotional, physical, social)
- Steps to reduce the control of anger over you
- Don’t forget to practice.