Let’s face it, we all get angry. Some of us have a better grasp of our emotions and know how to handle it effectively and efficiently but on the other hand, some of us don’t. Managing and accepting our emotions and thoughts is a skill that takes time, patience, and practice much like all of the life skills we have acquired. Out of the 27 emotions felt by humans, in my opinion, anger seems to be the most destructive. Anger is defined as an emotional state consisting of, feelings of irritation, annoyance, fury as well as a heightened Autonomic Nervous System* response. When we are angry we may say things we don’t mean. We react irrationally and blow things out of proportion. Its when we take the time to breathe and think before we act or speak that we can communicate our feelings and thoughts more productively.
“Anger becomes a problem when it occurs too frequently to the point where it leads to hostility and aggression. Negative emotions are considered to be a breeding ground for health problems such as cardiovascular disease, depression, neuroses, and schizophrenia. Anger that manifests itself into chronic hostility has recently been linked with Cardiac Heart Disease (CHD) and malignant neoplasms. Scientists have revealed a consistent relationship between hypertension (high blood pressure) and problematic styles of expressing anger. Suppressed anger or the tendency to experience intense feelings of anger but not express them, has been shown to be related to rheumatoid arthritis and malignant breast cancer in women. Black people and other members of disadvantaged minority groups in the United States are presumed to have special difficulty expressing anger directly and effectively. Supposedly blacks assume a passive-aggressive attitude and act sarcastically, rather than express feelings of anger and irritability in an open and direct manner. In the case of women, venting their anger openly, directly and loudly is the impression of being unfeminine, unladylike or sexually unattractive.”-Ernest H. Johnson
Sometimes when people are angry they get hurtful, some get even, some get destructive, and some hold it in. If you are angry, speak up. If you have something to say, say it. If you are not okay with something, say it “with your chest” (loud and proud). You deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, gentleness, and compassion. Still, people are not mind readers, so communicate, use your words, thoughts, and ideas. It would be nice if people gave you the benefit of the doubt or to at least try to see it from your point of view or simply ask. But not everyone has learned how to do that yet. It would also be nice if the world was an equal, fair place but it’s not. So again, do not hold in your anger, pain, or any of the other 25 emotions. Let them out and let them be heard. Emotions don’t make us weak, they make us human. Please remember not to take your anger out on the wrong people. Please take the time to figure out why you are angry, and work through it. Do you want to continue to feel this way? If not, what can you do to change it? Take the time to ask yourself these questions, it may change your outlook on emotions or life overall. WE have the power to be the creator or destroyer of our own realities/destinies.