The High Cost of Anger - Part 1 by Dr. Tony Fiore

Why keep yourself calm? Because doing so may help you live healthier and longer. Anger is like obesity. It is everywhere but not good for anybody. In fact, according to a recent issue of The Harvard Mental Health Newsletter, “optimistic hearts do better than angry ones.”

In one study, people with normal blood pressure who scored high on a rating scale for anger were nearly three times more likely to have a heart attack or require bypass surgery within five years.

The anatomy of anger

Most of the time we do not choose to be angry, but somehow we are suddenly in the feelings. Often, we don’t know we are angry until we feel it.

Anger, which comes from a part of our brain that is very old, can be very brief, lasting only a second or two. You can be happy one moment and angry the next. Angry feelings may also continue over a long period of time. If you are angry a lot, but your feelings are not connected to life circumstances, we call it a ‘mood.’ Angry moods lead to angry feelings coming on stronger and faster.

Once anger begins, it generates changes in our expression, our face, our voice and changes in the way we think. It also creates impulses to action. Sometimes we have thoughts that generate anger. Other times we have thoughts that occur at the same time as the anger. It is also possible for your anger to generate thoughts about what you are angry toward.

The different faces of anger

You may have noticed that what ‘triggers’ your anger one time may not do so at another time. Different people may also react very differently to the same event. Some people recover much more quickly than others when provoked by any negative emotion, including anger.

If you are a quick-recovering person, you probably are also better able to control your emotions. However, if you are challenged in this regard, you will need to work harder to develop anger management skills to deal with your feelings.

Angry feelings are a natural reaction to frustration or interference with our goals. Yet, we all are different in terms of what events trigger anger in us, how strongly we respond and how long it takes us to get back to normal. Learning to see a situation differently, cooling off and looking for alternative responses are all effective ways to better cope with angry feelings.

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BIO:

Dr. Tony Fiore is a So. California licensed psychologist, and anger management trainer. His company, The Anger Coach, provides anger and stress management programs, training and products to individuals, couples, and the workplace. Sign up for his free monthly newsletter "Taming The Anger Bee" at www.angercoach.com and receive two bonus reports.

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