Anger: Understanding the Emotion

Anger is an emotional response to someone or something that may have caused us to be anxious. If we don’t manage our anger it may become habitual, and we may experience difficult times stemming from consequences of our bouts of anger.


Usually when we suffer from bouts of uncontrolled anger, we know it. Being out of control can frighten us and those around us. We can learn how to deal with anger; understanding why we get angry and what makes us angry helps us to deal with it better.


If we struggle with anger management, we are not alone. One of five Americans has difficulty managing their anger. Those who cannot control their anger can cause scenes of rage that escalate into real physical conflict that damages property and even other people. Uncontrolled anger hurts everyone involved, even the person who is angry. Uncontrolled anger hurts people and things. It can affect our ability to function properly at work and, in extreme cases, lead to our dismissal.


Anger is normal. Everyone from time to time becomes angry. Anger can even protect us in times of danger. It can be healthy for us to feel angry about a situation in which we were abused, or ripped off, or mistreated. Expressing our feelings of anger at being treated poorly is healthy and normal. It is good to be able to vent occasionally.


When anger becomes unhealthy is when it destroys things and hurts our relationships with others. Uncontrolled anger is frightening to those around us, and even to ourselves as we seem unable to control our feelings. Anger creates fear in those who are victims of uncontrolled outbursts, and it alienates the aggressor from those who may have been willing to be supportive otherwise.


Anger is an emotion that can vary in intensity depending on what causes it. While we are angry, certain physical symptoms can occur. While angry a person’s blood pressure may rise, their heart rate may increase and certain levels of stress hormones, including adrenaline and noradrenaline increase. These hormones stimulate us to action in a ‘fight or flight’ response: this is what allows a mother who witnesses who child being threatened to be able to have more strength than she normally has to combat a kidnapper, or other assailant.


Anger can be stimulated by internal or external sources. Some common triggers include: a coworker, supervisor, another driver, stalled traffic, a personal situation, memories, a traumatic event, or overhearing racial slurs.


Expressing anger is a natural instinct for when we are threatened or under attack. Being able to express anger can help save our lives when used in appropriate situations. Expressing anger in a violent manner, when other methods of dealing with a situation, event or person that is not threatening us directly is called uncontrolled anger. Situations that do not call for a physical response might be; like when someone cuts in front of us in line, or someone we pass in the hallway uses a racial slur not directed at us. These things may be unpleasant and we have the right to feel angry, but expressing our anger in physical ways that cause damage is not an appropriate reaction to an external, non-confrontational stimulus. It simply is not wise to respond by using violence or fly into a rage every time something displeases us.

Scott Meyers is a staff writer for Its Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Anger Management.

Anger Is a Normal Emotion, But Sometimes Needs to Be Controlled

Anger is a perfectly normal emotion. We feel angry when we have been hurt physically or emotionally, have been wronged by someone or when we feel really frustrated. Anger is a normal human expression in response to an event or person.


We all have been angry at some time or another. Like of our other emotions: love, sadness, happiness, desire, pride and fear; we can experience anger at different levels of intensity, depending on the experience that triggered the emotion.


As children our emotions can overwhelm us because we have not figured out what to do with them or how to manage them. As we age from childhood to adulthood, we are expected to learn how to manage our emotions, including anger. Managing our anger is essential when living in societal groups because allowing anger to become out of control can infringe on the rights of others.


Uncontrolled anger can cause harm to others or to property. The harm we cause others can cost us not only in monetary terms but also in emotional terms or even in loss of our freedoms. It is wise for all of us to learn how to manage our emotions, especially anger.


Statistics:


According to the Sunday Times of London, anger is widespread amongst Americans:


45% of Americans lose their temper in the workplace on a regular basis


80% of American drivers have been involved in an act of road rage (witness or actual participant)


1 in 5 adults has an anger management problem


According to the 2002 WHO report, in the age group 15 to 44, violence triggered by anger causes about 14% of all deaths among males and 7% of deaths among women.


These alarming statistics can be attributed to individuals who cannot effectively manage their anger. This uncontrolled anger causes people to lash out and perpetrate acts of violence that cause pain and destruction to others and to themselves. This lack of control results in the statistics we see above: road rage, violence in the workplace and even murder.


The emotion of anger is not an entirely bad thing. Sometimes we can reap benefits from encounters with this emotion. An example would be when you find out that someone has been taking advantage of you. The anger that rises in you can spur you on to take healthy actions that protect you from future abuse by this person.


Anger is an emotional-physiological-cognitive internal state; it is separate from the behavior it might prompt. In some instances, angry emotions are beneficial; if we are being taken advantage of, anger motivates us to take action (not necessarily aggressive) to correct the situation. Aggression results from righteous anger, and is a healthy defense mechanism.


Anger is not behavior; it is an emotion that we feel in response to a stimulus (event or person). Anger may prompt someone to take action to correct a situation and that action can be constructive or destructive.

Scott Meyers is a staff writer for Its Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Anger Management.


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Trial And Error:Overcoming Low Self Esteem

Overcoming low self esteem can be difficult but if handled well can leave a positive mark on your life. We should start by letting you know that it’s okay to have self esteem issues. It’s a common problem, even though it may not feel like it sometimes. Everyone has days where they feel insecure; it’s the way that you deal with it that makes it worse.

The first thing you should start doing is see what type of people you surround yourself. The relationships you have with people impact the type of person you are. The basis for some relationships is jokes. In this scenario you and your friends call each other names because it can be funny, and then say you do not mean it. Consciously you may actually not mean.

You should know that this is not a healthy relationship to be in. This is because if someone calls you fat, even if they take it back, in the back of your mind you will wonder why they used your weight instead of something else. When you are surrounded by this it will make you really insecure. You should stop this by either telling the person to stop, or distancing yourself from them. You should also write down some of the negative things they say.

There are other types of unhealthy relationships, like when your friend constantly points out a flaw you may have. You should know that everyone has flaws, but the fact that someone keeps reminding you of the fact makes you insecure about it, even up to an unhealthy level. You should write down everything they say to you so that you can remember it for the next step.

The next thing you have to do is address all of the things they have said. How do you feel about them? Do you want to change them? If you can’t change them how will you accept it?

Before we finish, I wanted to talk a little bit about cosmetic surgery. Even though you are insecure and feel a little liposuction is your answer, it most likely is not. There are other issues at stake than just how you look, sometimes how you look can change how you feel about yourself, but if you have low self esteem you may become the most beautiful person in the world, but it may not be enough for you.

Do you have a situation with low self esteem? If so you can discover several methods to fight that and help gain a better self respect. Jump online now and discover out how to solve low self esteem once and for all.