Do you often experience road rage when someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you find yourself imagining horrible things you could do to someone who’s crossed you? Anger is a normal reaction. It is even considered as a healthy emotion as long as it is acted on in a positive way. However, uncontrolled anger can result in disastrous consequences for your health and relationships.
Anger is a powerful emotion. It can be the result of frustration, anxiety, depression and disappointment. You have to understand suppressing your anger can disrupt relationships; however, failing to control your temper will also lead to terrible consequences. The best thing you can do is learn to manage your temper.
Why Is It Necessary To Control Your Anger?
Failing to control your anger makes your body vulnerable to physical problems. This occurs because your mind and body are connected. Feelings of anger and frustration can put stress on your body which can result in medical problems such as:
- Heart problems
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol levels
- Chronic back pain
- Stomach problems
- Insomnia
- Weakened immune system
Difficulty managing your anger can also put you at risk of developing mental health problems. Chronic anger will consume a huge amount of your mental energy; therefore, you will find it hard to concentrate and enjoy life. Some of the other mental health concerns include:
- Depression
- Stress
- Drug or alcohol addictions
- Substance abuse
- Eating disorders
- Suicidal thoughts
Lastly, chronic anger can also hurt your relationships with others and can result in life-changing consequences. For example, you lose your temper during an argument with your friend and you assault him resulting in injuries. After the incident, your friend could charge you with assault and battery.
According to the criminal defense attorneys at http://actionlegalgroupwa.com/criminal-law/ you could serve anywhere from 90 days in jail to 10 years in prison. You might also have to pay compensation upwards of $50,000. Explosive anger is very damaging to your relationships and life.
How Can You Control Your Anger?
Improve Your Problem Solving Skills
If you are facing a problematic situation or conflict, you need to take the time to learn as much about it. Do not make quick judgments that may be incorrect. You should take a step back and look at the situation in a different way.
If you feel your blood boiling, you should take the time to consider what you can do about the conflict instead of losing your temper.
Slow Down Your Reaction Time
If you were criticized or if something bad happens, take the time to assess your emotions instead of immediately acting on it. If you start to feel the telltale signs of anger building up, you should remove yourself from the room for a few minutes to cool down.
It is also advisable to take a walk, go to the gym or listen to calming music. Doing so will allow you to release your pent up emotions and calm yourself.
Be Responsible For Your Own Actions
You need to decide ahead of time on how you’ll behave if you face frustrating situations. Think about how you can deal with the stress if something upsetting happens.
Seek Professional Help
If your chronic anger is spiraling out of control, you can always seek professional help. Therapy is a great way to look into the main cause of your anger. You need to understand that if you don’t know the root cause of your anger, you won’t be able to deal with it.
Therapy offers you a safe environment to identify the triggers of your pent up emotions. Therapy will also help you in learning how to properly express your negative feelings.
This guest post is written by Kris Bennette, a blogger on self-improvement issues.
