Wellness  

3 Reasons To Steer Clear From Repressed Anger

By Modupeoluwa Adekanye

04 October 2019   |   6:30 am

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Sometimes anger can be good for you if it's addressed quickly and expressed in a healthy way. In fact, anger may help some people think more rationally. However, when it is not addressed and you repress anger, it can affect your health a great deal. If you're prone to losing your temper, here are three important reasons to…

An angry black man and woman | Photo – Mile2 Herald

Sometimes anger can be good for you if it’s addressed quickly and expressed in a healthy way. In fact, anger may help some people think more rationally. However, when it is not addressed and you repress anger, it can affect your health a great deal. If you’re prone to losing your temper, here are three important reasons to steer clear from pent up anger.

Anger increases stroke risk

According to medical research, there is a three times higher risk of having a stroke from a blood clot to the brain or bleeding within the brain during the two hours after an angry outburst. For people with an aneurysm in one of the brain’s arteries, there was a six times higher risk of rupturing this aneurysm following an angry outburst. According to Mary Fristad, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State University.“To move into positive coping, you need to first identify what your triggers, and then figure out how to change your response.” When you are angry, take a deep breath, communicate or engage in activities that can calm you.

Causes Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety and anger can go hand-in-hand. In a 2012 study published in the journal Cognitive Behavior Therapy, researchers found that anger can increase symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a condition characterized by an excessive and uncontrollable worry that interferes with a person’s daily life. Not only were higher levels of anger found in people with GAD, but hostility along with internalized, unexpressed anger, in particular, contributed greatly to the severity of GAD symptoms. Instead of keeping your anger in, let it out, address whatever issue it is and make yourself feel better.

Leads to depression

According to some researches, anger can be linked to depression with aggression and angry outbursts, especially in men. According to Aiken, a psychologist,  “In depression, passive anger, where you ruminate about it but never take action is common. Any activity which fully absorbs you is a good cure for anger, such as golf, needlepoint, biking,” he says. “These tend to fill our minds completely and pull our focus toward the present moment, and there’s just no room left for anger to stir when you’ve got that going.” Engage in activities that will free your mind from stress.