Don’t Fly Off The Handle

“Words are like arrows. Once loosed, you cannot call them back.”

George R.R. Martin

With all these pressures and tensions, it is quite obvious these days to lose your cool. While waiting for your dinner to arrive at a restaurant when that lazy chef is taking too long to prepare your food or when you are stuck in traffic after an exhausting day and you vent all your anger on your cab driver. It is so convenient to fly off the handle just like that.

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But have you ever considered its adverse effects on your health? If you’ve ever experienced acute, intense anger or observed it in someone else, you know this emotion can manifest in your body. You may feel your heart racing, muscles tight, fists and teeth clenched, head throbbing, nostrils flared, and fixed gaze. When these emotions flare, there’s a profound impact on your health.

Effect of Anger on Health

The constant flood of stress chemicals and associated metabolic changes that go with ongoing unmanaged anger can eventually cause harm to many different systems of the body.

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Some of the short and long-term health problems that have been linked to unmanaged anger include:

• Headache
• Digestion problems, such as abdominal pain
• Anxiety
• Depression
• High Blood Pressure
• Skin problems, such as eczema
• Heart Attack
• Stroke
• Insomnia

Express Anger Healthily

I know, it sound a bit weird. How can one express anger healthily? It’s impossible. But it’s possible. Suggestions on how to express your anger in healthy ways include:

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• If you feel out of control, walk away from the situation temporarily, until you cool down.
• Recognise and accept the emotion as normal and part of life.
• Try to pinpoint the exact reasons why you feel angry.
• Once you have identified the problem, consider coming up with different strategies for how to fix the situation.
• Do something physical, such as going for a run or playing sport.
• Talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling.

Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.

Aristotle

Tips To Keep Your Cool

1. Go For A Walk

When you feel your temper slowly rising, go for a walk. This method will divert your mind and will stop you from reacting irrationally.

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2. Listen To Music

When you are down with emotions or stressed out, then listening to your favourite songs can calm you down. So, next time you get angry, just plug in your earphones and listen to your favourite songs.

3. Breathe-In Breathe-Out

It might sound like a cliche, but taking a deep breath in the middle of an outburst can actually help you calm down and think in retrospect about what happened that caused your anger. Generally, when we are angry, our breathing speed up and becomes shallower. So, you can reduce your anger by taking deep breaths.

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4. Count Backwards

Counting backwards actually works. The moment you feel you are losing control, start counting backwards to distract yourself.

5. Take A Time Out

If the pressures of life are getting on top of you, take some time out. Schedule in regular breaks, go for walks in a relaxing space or take up a hobby that you enjoy

6. Try Yoga

When everything feels wrong and you can’t stop yourself from thinking about it, try some yoga asanas to calm your mind. According to experts, yoga can help you manage your anger.

7. Recite A Calming Phrase

When you get angry, start reciting calming phrases like ‘take it easy’ or ‘everything is going to be alright’ or ‘This too shall pass’ to calm yourself. I call them “Mantras”. Reciting these mantras will help you to vent out your emotions and frustrations.

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8. Squeezing A Stress Ball

Squeezing a stress ball is one of the easiest ways to control your temper. It can help you to vent out your emotions and frustrations.

9. Think Before You Act

People tend to get physically aggressive when they are angry, you might be tempted to throw or break things to release your anger. Resist the urge and try to relax and calm down.

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When you are angry, you might want to say whatever you feel, no matter how hurtful it might be for the other person. Stop yourself from saying something that you would regret later.

10. Indulge In Humour

The moment things start heating up, try to find the humour in the situation to lighten up and to achieve a new, positive perspective.

11. Don’t Hold Onto A Grudge

Holding onto grudges can encourage anger. Try to deal with difficulties or challenges in a constructive manner, and then let them go

12. Eat A Healthy Diet

Try to eat a healthy diet so your body receives the essential nutrients to function well. Also, eat certain foods to promote the endorphins that lift your mood. These include oily fish, such as salmon, avocados, nuts, spinach and eggs

13. Know When To Seek Help

If you find that you continue to feel angry and feel that it is having a destructive impact on your life, and those around you, seek professional support.

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The problem with losing your temper on daily basis is that it becomes a habit. And like most habits, it eventually becomes a part of your nature. Effective people are calm and composed in every situation. They chose their words wisely. It is easy to say hurtful words during a moment of anguish and hurt your dear ones but it takes a lifetime to mend those broken bonds. So keep your calm during a moment of crisis to save your precious bonds.

So always leave your loved ones with loving words, It may be the last time you see them.

Don’t waste your time in anger, regrets, worries, and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy.

Roy T. Bennett