Anger is one of those emotions that people shy away from talking about. The emotion is almost a taboo subject in the western world yet if we do not take the time to understand and deal with this emotion, the toll that it can have on our physical bodies, emotional state of mind and our relationships can be devastating. In this article I am going to journey through the true costs of anger.
If I asked you, "What do you think the true costs of anger are? What response would you give?" Take a moment to actually reflect on the question before reading on.
The most common response would be that it destroys relationships and you could probably give me an example of a damaged relationship due to anger. However the reality is that if we hold onto anger we actually risk damaging our own bodies.
Prolonged anger has been shown through research to put the physiology of your body at risk. In fact we know that it can in fact be an agent for heart disease, heart attack and even stroke.
Think about your body in this manner. Imagine your heart is a tap and you have two hoses, one hose that is ½ an inch and the other that is ¼ inch. If you were to attach the ½ inch hose to the tap your blood would flow normally but if you were to attach the ¼ inch hose to the tap, the hose would be under lots of pressure, in fact two times the pressure, because your heart is still trying to move the same amount of fluid through a space half the size.
Well the reality is this. When you are angry the blood vessels in your body will constrict, just like attaching a ¼ inch hose to your heart, but your body still has to pump the same amount of blood around your body. So whilst you are angry there is going to be additional pressure on your blood vessels and over time the blood vessels can weaken.
In fact, it has been shown that prolonged anger can damage the vessels so much that it can lead to heart attack, stroke or a brain aneurism. An aneurism is where the blood vessel actually explodes. A friend of mine some 20 years ago had been under so much pressure and was suffering from a serious anger management issue due to divorce, that one day a blood vessel in his head simply exploded. The doctors during the autopsy stated very clearly that anger had played a large part in his death.
Anger can be used to release pressure built up over time but not learning how to deal with anger in an effective manner may lead to serious health issues in the future. They can also affect you in such a manner that you may turn to comfort activities like eating fast food and drinking. So whilst anger may not be the primary cause of your health issues, it will certainly push you in a way that will not help.
If you are suffering from anger issues it is very important that you are honest with yourself right now and make the decision to get help. It is never too late to get help and change your life. You cannot change the past, but you can work towards a much happier future without the burden of anger.
Chris Le Roy is the Managing Director of the One-on-One Professional Business Training Centre. Our company provides a regular anger management classes that will help you to learn to manage your anger, you career and more. Our company also provides senior first aid courses to help ensure you have that qualification when you apply for your next job.
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