How Anger is Ruining Your Health

The Destructive Effects of Uncontrolled Anger

Anger is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. However, uncontrolled anger that is expressed through yelling, screaming, or physical aggression can have serious negative effects on your health and relationships.

According to the reference article, constantly losing your cool can hurt more than just your relationships. Unmanaged anger puts you at risk for stress-related illnesses, heart disease, and other chronic health problems. Learning to control anger is an important step to protect your physical and mental wellbeing.

The Physical Toll of Anger

When you experience anger, your body reacts as if you are facing an immediate physical threat. Adrenaline, cortisol, and other hormones flood your system. Your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing increase. Chronic anger keeps your body in this heightened state of stress most of the time. Over the long-term, this takes a toll on multiple body systems.

Anger and hostility have been clearly linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Angry people have higher risk for arrhythmias and heart attacks. The constant flooding of stress hormones caused by anger damages the lining of your arteries and can lead to atherosclerosis. This build-up of plaques in the arteries increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.

Uncontrolled anger also leads to high blood pressure. Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure forces your heart to work harder to pump blood through your body. Over time, this stiffens your heart muscle and damages blood vessels. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for strokes, heart failure, kidney disease, and dementia.

Chronic anger triggers inflammation throughout your body. Inflammation plays an important role in many diseases and is linked to arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, heart disease, and even cancer. When you are constantly angry, the inflammation never has a chance to fully resolve.

Anger also affects your lungs and respiratory system. It can trigger asthma attacks and make respiratory infections worse. People who scored high for anger on psychological assessments had a higher risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema.

The Mental Health Effects

Uncontrolled anger not only damages physical health but mental health as well. Chronic anger makes you more vulnerable to mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. It also erodes relationships with friends and family members.

The constant flood of stress hormones triggered by anger overstimulates your brain. This can wear down your ability to regulate emotions. You may find yourself flying off the handle over minor annoyances. Frequent angry outbursts train your brain to exist in a heightened state of arousal, making it difficult to relax.

Anger damages your ability to think rationally and see situations clearly. When you are angry, you are more likely to misinterpret events and the intentions of others. This can lead to more conflict and antagonistic relationships with people you interact with regularly.

Letting anger take over your life causes fatigue, depression, and hopelessness. Over time, this emotional strain can lead to thoughts of suicide. People struggling to control anger are at higher risk for both suicide and suicidal behavior.

Anger issues often go hand-in-hand with mental health conditions like bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder. However, it is unclear whether these conditions cause anger or whether chronic anger leads to the development of mental illness. Most likely, there is a bidirectional relationship between the two.

Strategies to Control Anger

Learning to manage and constructively channel your anger takes commitment, self-awareness, and practice. Here are some strategies to help you gain control over destructive anger habits:

• Detect your personal anger triggers. Keep a journal to identify situations that tend to set you off.
• Notice signs that anger is building like tense muscles, increased heart rate, negative self-talk. Take steps to calm down before reaching the point of no return.
• Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or listening to music.
• Get regular exercise to reduce overall stress and pent-up negative energies.
• Share your feelings honestly in a non-confrontational way when you feel yourself getting worked up.
• Walk away from provocative situations and people until you can interact in a calmer manner.
• Get some space if you feel anger building. You can say something like “I need some time to think about things” to politely exit a heated conversation.
• Write in a journal to get anger off your chest in a non-destructive manner.
• Use humor to defuse tense situations. Laughing helps your body relax.
• Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or listening to music.

When to Seek Help

Everyone feels angry sometimes. But if your anger makes you miserable, hurts relationships, or gets you into trouble, it is time to seek professional assistance. A counselor or therapist can help you identify the root causes of chronic anger and learn healthier ways of dealing with frustration.

Consider reaching out for help if anger:

• Causes problems with your partner, family, friends, or coworkers
• Leads to physical violence or destruction of property
• Gets you arrested or fired from jobs
• Causes people to avoid you
• Makes it hard to have positive relationships
• Leaves you feeling depressed and hopeless

A combination of therapy and anger management courses can help you get control over destructive anger habits. Medications may also be used to stabilize extreme anger issues associated with mental illnesses like depression or PTSD.

Protect Your Health by Letting Go of Anger

Allowing anger to control your life can damage both physical and mental health. But the good news is that chronic anger can be addressed through commitment and hard work. Talk to your doctor or mental health provider to explore anger management strategies. Consistent practice of relaxation techniques, communication skills, and lifestyle changes can help you gain control of your emotions.

Protect yourself by letting go of destructive anger. Your heart, lungs, brain, and relationships will thank you.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.