Monday, November 7, 2016

Anger Ages!!

Paul yelled at the top of his voice, “Are you totally deaf?” He flung the cup he held, spilling coffee on the carpet.

Paul actually was caring, generous, full of fun and ever so helpful. But anger, he could not control. His children loved to spend time with him, but were wary of what they spoke lest they provoked him. Laura, his wife avoided discussions with Paul for the same reason.

Life was a see-saw of emotions for the whole family, pivoted on Paul’s disposition. Besides creating unpleasantness all around, the emotion which engulfs an angry Paul, and thousands like him, rings scores of warning bells.


What happens you get angry? You stand at a higher risk to develop symptoms of
  1. Hypertension 
  2. Cardiac problems Acidity and heartburn 
  3. Damage to the lungs 
  4. Eczema 


 There are other concerns too. If you don’t do something about anger, it is likely you will fell prey to problems like

  1. Eating disorders 
  2. Depression leading to actions of self destruction 
  3. Substance abuse 


 With these and many more issues to tackle, you will start aging prematurely. Yes, that’s what anger does. The intensely negative influence of anger ages you irreversibly.

 The physiological stress that results from chronic anger will speed up physical deterioration. Wrinkles appear before they ought to, there is a likelihood of hair loss, your health parameters take a beating -

In short, you start growing old much earlier than you really ought to.




So how do you manage anger before it gets the better of you.  Here are 10 simple steps for successful anger management
1)   The much written about, quite clichéd advice is truly the most practical one! Yes! Count till 10 before you react in anger
2)  Breathe in and breathe out slowly, while counting
3) Identify the parameters that make you angry. Learn to manage them. If you are angry because of your failure to complete a task, then plan on how you should react when you face failure again
4)  Indulge in actions/activities that help you calm down and make you feel more relaxed  and less angry
5)  Look out for physiological indicators which indicate that you will soon lose your temper.  It may be quickening of breath, or it may be a faster heartbeat - 
6) Controlling the outburst by keeping the feelings locked inside your mind leads to stress too – sometimes this causes more harm; you can take up a rigorous physical activity like cycling, trekking and so on to take your mind away from anger. The adrenaline flowing through your body will quell the negativity and make you feel good!
7)  Eat healthy! Include generous portions of fresh fruits and vegetables in your meals and snack.
8) Own up responsibility for your outburst. Be genuinely repentant and reach out to those who have been affected by your anger.
9) Assure them and yourself that you are working on your problem and will definitely conquer it soon
10)  Get professional help if required