All of us have felt anger. Is it OK to be angry? Yes, It is. All emotions including anger are normal when they are under our control. If an emotion start controlling us and our behavior, it might lead to catastrophe. Anger seems to be the most destructive of all the emotions. Lets try to understand anger, then look at few ways to control it.
Classification of Anger
Anger vary in intensity. It might be a minor irritation or a blatant rage.
Anger also vary in frequency. Some people are angry almost all the time and on all minor problems they face while other are rarely angry.
Anger also vary in duration. There are people whose anger endures long period of time while for others it just come and go.
Anger also vary in duration. There are people whose anger endures long period of time while for others it just come and go.
Physical effects of anger
Anger increases the heart rate and blood pressure. The amount of energy hormones (adrenaline and noradrenaline) in the blood increases. Sometimes, there is intense energy that our actions might go out of control. People might shout, harm others physically, hit on a wall, break things etc.. .
If a pregnant woman gets angry, it will affect the child’s physical and psychological growth. The child might have stress, anxiety, uncontrollable emotions, etc… Anger might also lead to medical problems like heart attack, Hypertension, Stress, etc…
Psychological effects of anger
Anger usually comes with an unpleasant feeling. While angry people forget happy moments in life and even the most precious people in their life. It affects the analytical and logical reasoning of the brain. High tempered people do not think about their actions while they are angry. The worst part is that, it also affects the people around you. Anger affect the quality of your life.
Anger and Corporate Culture
Anger could hinder corporate synergy. An organisation cannot succeed if it is divided into parts working isolated. All business units, all departments, all team, everybody in the organisation usually work for a common goal. Uncontrolled anger at colleagues, superiors, subordinates will destroy the team spirit. People forget Win/Win and starts thinking of Win/Lose or Lose/Lose situations. If the synergy goes down, the culture of the organisation get’s a hit. Reactive people become angry at minor problems while an effective and assertive person tries to understand the situation and tries to find a solution, even if it is a major issues.
How to control ‘Anger’?
There are several ways to control anger. Probably only few of the methods might suit a particular person depending on his/her mental and physical agility. Few effective ways to control anger are:
- Keep a ‘smile’ and feel happy – If you are happy and smiling, it is easy to avoid situations that might trigger anger.
- Yoga / Exercise – Yoga and exercising keeps your your mind fresh and pleasant.
- Organise yourself – If everything is in place, you feel good and it helps in avoiding situations which might trigger anger.
- Deep Breathing – It is useful to control anger in it’s initial stages. You could probably count 1 – 10 and breath deeply along with it.
- Chanting – Repeating some mantras or calm phrases would help in controlling anger.
- Think about something / someone you like very much – This is a way to shift your mind from the situation you are in that could probably trigger your anger.
- Anger Management Programs – There are intensive training programs where people will learn to understand their anger, and equip them with effective tools and techniques to manage anger.
Techniques 1, 2 and 3 will be helpful in tackling anger in the long term. They are commonly used to avoid anger or situations that might trigger anger. Techniques 4, 5 and 6 are commonly used while we are in anger or in a situation that would trigger anger. Said that, it is also good to practice them frequently, like every morning or during weekends, to keep your mind fresh and calm. Anger Management Programs are usually for people who gets angry intensely, frequently or for longer period of time.
There are many other techniques and some people have their own special ways of tackling anger.
