ANGER: JUST ANOTHER EMOTION

What do you do when you feel angry?

Is that even a feeling that you allow yourself to express?

All too often when that flush of emotion arises, we make ourselves wrong for feeling it and get stuck in patterns of guilt and ‘stuffing down’ our anger. It’s an uncomfortable emotion that most people don’t like to experience or witness.

When we don’t give voice to this emotion, leave it unresolved or express anger in an unhealthy way, it not only create havoc inside our bodies but also erupts when we least expect it. Unresolved anger will literally destroy your relationships just because it creeps into every aspect of your life just waiting — like a volcano — to explode and release the stress that anger creates.

The purpose of this article is to discuss feelings that can lead to anger and effective ways to express and resolve anger.

The Warning Signs

We’ve all experienced anger, but often it still creeps up unexpectedly. Noticing the physical changes in our bodies can help alert you to the fact that you’re becoming angry. Some physical signs may include:

• headache
• stomach discomfort
• tightness in the jaw
• tense muscles
• sweating
• flushed face
• racing heartbeat

And you may even feel dizzy or be somewhat shaking.

We almost never experience one emotion at a time. When we’re triggered or become angry, there’s almost always something else that’s happening in the background. These many include:

How To Resolve Anger

Take Deep Breaths: One of the most effective and immediate solutions to a sudden rush of anger is to take deliberate deep breaths, with the exhale being purposefully longer than the inhale. As you practice this technique, you’ll notice that it becomes more and more effective at producing feelings of calm and control.

Count To Ten: Counting is more of a distraction than an actual resolution of angry feelings, but can give you the time and space to form a response to the stimulus, as opposed to a reaction. Taking a moment to create…