Posts Tagged ‘anger’
in the post.
Anger management is big news today in the media, it is portrayed in the movies and there are many books written about this topic. No one ever really stops to ask why it has become so necessary. Realistically speaking fifty or sixty years ago no one ever even thought about how to control anger. Have people changed that much? Has crime really risen that much? We know for sure economic crime has risen, but has violent crime propelled by the inability to keep anger in check risen? The answer is complex. It has yes and no properties. The laws that deem what is a crime has risen and changed and that may add to the proof positive statistics that violent crimes and economic crimes have risen.
Is Anger Healthy?
The simple answer is that anger is healthy sometimes. Outrage and anger acts sometimes as a motivator. It is what pushes people to step up and effect change in government and society. It is not the anger that is unhealthy for us it is the way we deal with the anger. You can have some very negative feelings but do some very positive things with those negative feelings. Of course focusing on nothing but negative feelings is unhealthy for you, but no one can be without anger all the time, it is impossible.
When Anger Is Unhealthy
Focusing on anger and doing nothing to improve the situation or to release the anger is proven to have negative consequences. Some of the health related issues that are caused by not releasing anger can include:
High Blood Pressure
Depression
Heart Disease
Other Minor Illnesses
High blood pressure can be affected by thought. Angry thoughts that are given too much attention can elevate the blood pressure and keeps it there, increasing the risk of stroke.
Depression is a huge malady that our society as a whole faces today. People are portrayed as sad and unable to cope with life, very little reference is made to a depression diagnosis known as agitated depression. This type of depression is based in anger. The sufferer of this type of depression is unable to cope with life, but instead of not wanting to get out of bed everyday (although this can be one of the symptoms) they are just very angry at everything and everyone. This is a chicken and the egg conundrum. No one is certain if the constant angry thoughts brings on this type of depression or if the depression brings on these angry thoughts.
Heart disease is also known to exacerbate in folks that are generally angry. Minor illnesses like colds and flu’s, body aches, headaches all are reported in people that also report that they are more angry than most.
Why Is Anger More Prevalent Now
It seems there is a correlation between anger and stimulus. The society that we live in today is very stimulating, there are many more choices to be made, many more options to consider. There is some medical science that supports the idea that there are some people that just cannot cope with the choices and options and all the sensory stimulation. These folks are hard wired not to be able to deal with this sensory overload, that it triggers anger. They become frustrated and irritated easier and these feelings turn into anger.
Some Statistics
Urban dwellers experience anger issues up to 3 times more than rural dwellers.
People with strong religious convictions experience anger up to 65% less than those that are not as committed to their beliefs.
Men that are married report feelings of anger up to 25% less than their single counterparts, but on the flip side of the coin, women that are married experience anger up to 50% more than their single counterparts.
There are some occupations that will make people much angrier than others. Government employees are the least angry, if they work for the federal government, while the employees of local municipalities are a bit angrier up to 21%. Police are the angriest at 71% saying they are angry more than 4 days a week.
Learning To Use Your Anger Wisely
There are classes and counseling that are focused on how to use your anger wisely. There is also medication available that can get you through the rough spots while you are learning to control things.