Anger can be a force for good. But ongoing, intense anger is neither helpful nor healthy. Here's how to get a grip.
By Melissa Bienvenu
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Joseph Goldberg, MD
At one time or another, everyone feels anger bubbling up. There's nothing wrong with that. Anger is common. It's a normal response when you sense a threat or a social or professional slight.
So, when the new guy at work gets promoted and you don't, or when your spouse “pushes your buttons," it’s OK to feel hot under the collar.
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Some people have trouble turning it off or dealing with it the right way, though. Chronic, ongoing anger can tear down your relationships, job, social life, reputation -- even your health.
“Anger itself is neither good nor bad,” explains Mitch Abrams, PhD, an anger management expert and psychiatry professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University.
Low to moderate anger can even work for good, prompting you to right wrongs and make improvements.
But it also kicks your body's natural defenses into overdrive. When you sense a threat, your nervous system releases powerful chemicals that prepare you to fight, run, and stay alive. Your heart rate and breathing quicken. Your blood pressure rises, muscles tense, and you perspire.
The problem is, chronically angry people spend too much time in this hyped-up state. Over time, that puts too much wear and tear on your body, making you more likely to get heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and other problems.
The rapid anger response also amps up your brain. On one hand, it helps you quickly know a potential threat. On the other, it can push you to make rash decisions in the heat of the moment. It's no surprise anger is linked to accidents and risky activities like smoking, gambling, drinking, and overeating. Anger also plays a role in depression. Also, studies suggest that holding it inside may be just as unhealthy as blowing up.
At the least, unchecked anger can hold off the people you need the most. Worse, it can turn into aggression or violence.
“Nobody ever gets into trouble for feeling angry,” Abrams stresses. “But people sometimes get into trouble for what they do when they feel angry.”
Warning Signs of an Anger Issue
How can you spot an anger problem?
“When it occurs too frequently, when the intensity is too strong, or when it endures too long,” says Howard Kassinove, PhD, director of Hofstra University's Institute for the Study and Treatment of Anger and Aggression. He also co-wrote “Anger Management for Everyone: Seven Proven Ways to Control Anger and Live a Happier Life.”
Kassinove sees degrees of anger: annoyance, anger, and rage. Occasionally feeling annoyed or even angry is nothing to worry about.
“Most people report that they get angry once or twice a week,” Kassinove says, “but people who rate high for the anger trait become angry about once a day. Holding on to anger for too long is another sign of trouble. We see patients who are still angry at people who died years ago.”
source : Why Am I So Angry?
