We all get mad sometimes. Getting mad is a normal human emotion designed to help us survive, fight, and even protect ourselves. Our ancestors used anger to overcome physically taxing, dangerous situations and circumstances. But today, our anger responses can be triggered by much less threatening occurrences.
Our Responses to Provocation Have Changed
Some individuals are more prone to inflammatory responses than others. But, just like a substance use disorder may manifest varying symptoms in a wide variety of ways, anger can present itself differently in each person. From the quiet man bubbling on the inside because of an upsetting message he got from work to the toddler throwing a temper tantrum at their parents because the mac and cheese isn’t the right shape (true story), and the list goes on and on.
I genuinely do mean that we all get angry sometimes.
And anger can take on various forms, occurring in varying volumes and intensities. Sometimes our anger is justified by the situation we are faced with; others, it is an overreaction to a minor circumstance.
Sometimes we become irritated about silly things; other times, we get mad about injustice or serious problems. The point is, anger is normal to experience in life. We would not be human if we never felt anger, even over silly things. But even though getting angry is a characteristic of life that we cannot avoid, our anger can get out of control and cause us serious health issues.
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Excessive Indignation on General Health
Anger is a powerful emotion, and it pops up in our personal life, professional work, and so much more.
In some instances, expressing anger can prove beneficial, and constructive anger can help us bridge communications gaps with loved ones and co-workers. When we express anger in a healthy way, we can motivate ourselves to move forward, get more done, and even defend or protect ourselves and others in time of need. But, if we lose control, negative outcomes are sure to follow.
Misplaced wrath can cause an extensive range of health complications to arise, often resulting in severe physical health problems or mental health issues. It can exasperate stress levels in an already hectic life, lead to violent behavior, trigger fight or flight responses. It can put marriages at increased risk for physical assaults or other marital problems. It can leave traumatizing fingerprints on your child’s early development if your easily angered emotions often target them for release when out of control.
Persistent Fury Can Harm Our Relationships Too
Uncontrolled anger ends friendships, alienates family, and worsens or leads to drug addiction and alcoholism.
Anger can prove highly volatile. And as we can see, it affects far more than just an individual emotional state. It isn’t fun losing control. But learning about the physical effects of a chronic angry outburst can help individuals seek professional help to gain control over their negative emotions.
Researchers found that uncontrolled anger can be linked directly to causing several different types of health problems at the present moment. The health problems anger as a chronic personality trait puts people at risk for developing include:
- Mental health issues, including depression
- Cardiovascular complications, including heart disease
- Digestive problems that can affect blood flow and regulation
- Immune system issues, proven to sometimes lead to the development of thyroid complications
When anger does not release as a healthy emotion, an individual puts themselves at risk for a series of severe adverse health complications.
The Negative Effects of Uncontrolled Anger on The Cardiovascular System
Our feelings of anger are linked to how our brain processes the information around us. When we become angry, our body and emotions respond to our mood changes. Our hearts are racing before we know it, and we are acting on impulse. In ancient times, this linked reaction helped humans develop fight or flight responses, fighting to stay alive in instances of danger.
But today, even though these impulse feelings can still help us occasionally, without a healthy way to manage anger, we risk doing damage to our hearts. Some of the most common cardiac health issues that arise as a result of an individual chronically losing to their angry outbursts include:
- Developing higher blood pressure
- Increasing the risk to develop coronary disease
- Increasing the chances of developing another form of heart disease
- Suffering from increased heart rate
When high blood pressure meets constant spiking frustration, the result can prove disastrous, damaging and clogging essential blood cells leading to the heart that in time can result in a stroke or heart attack. But it is not just our hearts that suffer from an inability to manage anger in an appropriate way.
The Adverse Effects of Stress Hormones and Anger on Mental Health
Anger is so much more complex than simple cause and effect. Yes, emotion developed as a healthy way to respond to immediate danger. But as the human race has grown and changed, the things that trigger our frustrations have gained the ability to be much more arbitrary.
Sometimes this means our anger can help us get tasks done, helping us grow frustrated with ourselves for procrastinating to the point where we begin to move. Or giving us the determination to cut ties in relationships that only serve to make us feel bad about ourselves.
Even so, there are times when we get carried away. We express hostility instead of anger and thus manage to harm others and damage our stress hormones and mental health. Some common adverse effects of anger on mental health include:
- Developing depression
- Building low self-esteem
- Suffering from increased anxiety
- Finding it challenging to stay calm
- Being unable to control mood swings and feelings of hostility
- May develop or struggle with insomnia
The brain, mental wellness, emotion, physical wellbeing, and our intense feelings of frustration are all intimately linked. If one system is off-balance, the others are likely to follow.
The Physical Abuse Our Immune System Endures at the Hands of Chronic Anger Outbursts
Even the immune system suffers when our response to negative emotion is out-of-whack. Some of the most common effects the body and its defenses suffer from without a proper way to manage anger include:
- Decrease in normal thyroid functions
- Increased chances of developing cancer
- Irregular fluctuations in average cellular growth and retention
How Anger Problems Effects Our Digestive Tract
Our gut suffers too when adverse emotional reactions become a chronic issue. Some of the most common the digestive tract tends to express when under copious amounts of anger-related stress include:
- Abdominal pain
- Problems digesting food
- Decreased metabolism
Other Common Symptoms of Anger Affecting Your Physical Health
Our feelings intertwine with much or what our bodies experience. Reactionary and impulsive as it may be, chronic anger issues can inspire the development of many long-drawn-out health complications. From heart disorders to problems with the stomach, low self-esteem, and more. Some remaining effects of chronic anger include:
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Skin issues; including eczema breakouts
- Diabetes
And so much more. Our minds can go blank when we let our angry reactions take over control. And our bodies can suffer.
We All Handle Anger Differently
Each person experiences anger differently, and those who wrestle with chronic anger can all manifest different symptoms. In any circumstance, these responses can aggravate a high hostility environment that can prove to be dangerous. We can drive angry, cause an accident, lash out, hurt someone we know, etc.
Or we can place ourselves in an environment that takes its toll on us emotionally. Anger can be a big emotion with highly expressive side effects.
We as humans do not always know when anger is something we struggle with.
But There is Hope; Anger Management Training is Available
The good news is, there are ways to identify a chronic anger issue.
And even better, there are professional help methods that can stimulate healing for those who struggle with chronic anger issues.
Anger management training can be made available to anyone, even individuals working through a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program like St. John’s Recovery Place (SJRP). All you need to do to get started is recognize that you may have a problem controlling your most intense feelings. From there, you can contact a therapist, enroll in a training program, or even as your primary care physician for more expert advice on finding the right treatment aid for you.
How Can You Tell if You Have Anger Issues or Just Feel Angry?
But wait…
Suppose frustration and excessive infuriation manifest in everyone differently. How do we know when we are wrestling with the condition that needs treatment vs. a long week resulting in stressful outbursts?
Excellent question!
Some individuals who struggle with anger issues may exhibit some telltale signs or experience some symptoms in their daily lives that hint they need a little extra help in learning to manage their emotional responses to the world around them. Other people may not have such straightforward signs.
To help you determine whether you need the help of a professional, or you just need to take a moment to practice some deep breathing, here are some telltale signs you may be experiencing chronic infuriation:
- You feel as though your rage is spiraling out of control
- You feel out of control when your fury is provoked
- You feel irritated often or daily
- You notice your irritation causes you to say things you wouldn’t normally
- Your aggressive moods have begun to affect your relationships
- You physically hurt others when in a rage
- You break things when you get mad
- You often get into arguments frequently
- You threaten others physically or verbally when expressing yourself
- You have gotten into trouble at work, home, school, or even with law enforcement repeatedly for your tempers
Anger is a natural reflex inbuilt to human nature. Unfortunately, it is a reflex that is harder to control for some people. Luckily, anger does not need to rule over anyone’s life any longer.
There are many avenues you and your family can take, even at home, to practice staying calm and remaining in control when your vexations begin to rise.
Is it Possible to Get Rid of Anger?
Recovering from chronic rage can be challenging, even though entirely possible.
There is no cure to make fury, wrath, or irritation disappear. But, there are methods you can learn that can help you stay calm as you work through the triggers that made you mad in the first place. Once you understand your motivations, you can tackle the issue head-on by learning how to absolve or cope with the problem constructively.
Learning to manage your anger will take a little time and practice. SJRP Can Help. Like individuals in addiction treatment, you must take one step at a time. Learning to recognize the root cause of the issue before cultivating a series of manageable, healthy responses can help you retrain your body and its fight or flight response to submit to your mindful will and control once again. Of course, even after training, you will still get angry time and again. And that’s okay!
Once you complete training, you’ll have a set of tips, tricks, and techniques to help you cope positively with even the most heinous days.
What Does Rage Management Training Involve?
Some people learn to quell their anger with breathing techniques, and others learn how to use exercise to balance their emotional aggression. But in the end, learning to control your anger does not mean knowing how to get rid of it. Learning to control your anger is understanding why you are getting angry, giving yourself grace, holding yourself accountable, and becoming a more thoughtful and effective communicator.
Counseling, Therapy, Remapping the Brain
Counseling sessions for anger management will train you to build and utilize a “calming toolbelt.” This toolbelt will comprise a series of relaxation, problem-solving, mindful techniques, and coping skills to help individuals navigate everyday life with greater ease. Of course, not all coping mechanisms will work as effectively for each individual, so clients must work hard to ensure the techniques that work for them get plenty of practice for fluid, accessible use.
It’ll take time to get used to, and there will be periods where the diversion doesn’t work as well, or at the moment, you forget to try and practice your new skill, and that is okay. Learning to remap your mind and navigate away from aggression in conflict is hard, but you can take pride in working towards bettering yourself.
Counseling to Contain Fury in Rehab
Learning to manage your anger is an essential skill all human beings must actively work to master.
We all fail at it sometimes. But working hard to manage your symptoms of frustration and annoyance will help you become a happier and healthier individual. In drug and alcohol addiction rehab, anger management training is an integral aspect of therapy, counseling, and healing. Through it, clients learn to become savvy communicators, problem-solvers, and well-rounded individuals prepared to tackle any situation they come to face.
Anger Management and St. John’s Recovery Place
Not all drug and alcohol rehabs prioritize anger management training. At St. John’s Recovery Place, learning to self-regulate your body, mind, emotional self, and spirit is part of our core focus. If you or a loved one struggles with addiction and want to work to combat your fury, SJRP may be the right place for you.
Call 1-833-397-3422 today to learn more about SJRP and how we can help you move from constantly irritated to empowered and ready to take on any situation the world throws at you.
We’ve got your back every step of the way!
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