Mental & Emotional Health

Today I’d like to continue my series on anger & it’s effect on our lives.

The American Psychological Association & psychologist Charles Speilberger (PhD) describes anger as “an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury & rage.” Your heart rate goes up, your blood pressure increases, your energy hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline also increase - just like with stress! Internal and external events can cause anger. You can be cut off in a traffic jam and become angry just as easily as you can forget to go to an advising appointment and become angry at yourself. (Yes, I’ve been there, done that.) Even remembering previous situations can make a person angry!

As I wrote yesterday, anger is normally expressed through aggressive actions. However, if you punch everyone you get mad at, you won’t last long in our society. There are laws, social norms, and most importantly common sense that hold our anger to a certain “public” level.

Three Ways
Expressing your anger is the healthiest way to deal with these angry feelings. You must remember, though, that you need to express them in an assertive, but non-aggressive manner. You make your needs clear, you learn how to meet those needs and you do it without hurting. You can be assertive without being pushy & demanding.

Suppressing your anger happens when you hold your anger in, stop thinking about the anger and then transfer those thoughts to something positive. (Conversion & redirection with your anger.) This is making your anger more construction (rather than destructive) and can be dangerous. Why? If you’re not letting your anger out, you’re sitting on it and there is a possibility of turning it on yourself! “Anger turned inward may cause hypertension, high blood pressure and depression.” (There you are Crys!)

Non-expressed anger can also create problems. This non-expression can lead to passive-aggressive behavior (”getting even” with people without telling them that you’re angry and why you’re acting the way you are) or a continual cynical and hostile personality. People who put others down, criticize those around them, and make cynical comments all the time have not constructively learned to express their anger.

mental & emotional health, anger, anger expression