Vent Out Your Anger, Positively

It is said that that Anger is a human being’s worst enemy. And it is mostly true, as it leads to many diseases and affects not only the individual, but also the people around them. But if anger can be channelized properly, it might help a person to bring positive results.

Anger, just like Love, is a really powerful and potent emotion. Hence, it should not be ignored or left uncontrolled. It might lead to high blood pressure, anxiety, heart attacks, choking, and mentaldys function. Suppressed anger can also lead to paranoia, panic attacks, headache, digestion problems, such as abdominal pain;insomnia, depression etc.

It can also spoil your social and family relations.Uncontrolled arguments may lead to dire consequences and a series of actions, which an individual might regret later; like physical projections of anger, arguments, brawl, and self-harm. Whereas, anger channelized properly, can have positive repercussions.

Ekansha Khanduja, a volunteer for an NGO, where she teaches underprivileged kids, says “I have learned that the kids teach me more than I have taught them. They have taught me patience, teamwork and being helpful, amongst other things. We generally see children in a class as a whole. But they are actually a collective set of varying nature. There are quiet kids, shy kids, expressive kids, notorious kids and the kids who just disturb others.

Today, even when corporal punishment is prohibited, most of the teachers vent out their anger by punishing the kids.

The key is to control your anger, understand that they are here to learn and that you should be the one to teach them. Instead of taking a personal grudge against them, we should take up a more impassive approach and deal with them logically. We shouldn’t humiliate them in front of everyone, because it creates a state of mortification which might impact them deeply, and affect their mental growth.

They should be dealt with on-to-one and they should be counseled personally.

Most of them listen and try to change when that is done. For the ones that still don’t listen, there is a different approach for them, which involves segregating them from the group and conducted interesting activities which will push them to behave well.”

When one gets angry, the brain triggers the body’s “Flight or fight” response. Some of the other emotions that trigger the same responses are excitement, fear and anxiety. The adrenal gland releases the stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

Our brain fends off the blood, away from the guts and sends it to the muscles, to prepare the body for physical exertion. With that, respiration, blood pressure and heart rate increases, the body temperature rises and the skin starts to perspire. The mind starts getting focused.

Clinical psychologist, Asmita Sharma, says, “Anger is a physical reaction as well as a psychological response. There is a high adrenaline rush that you may experience in extreme fits of anger. Losing your reasoning abilities is easy in that state, however if you were to somehow use that rush, you can boost your performance and mental capacities. Managing a steady flow of thought process in that state would go a long way in preventing the outbursts and in boosting your capacities”

Most of the people vent out or express their anger inappropriately and in harmful ways, which include:

Anger outbursts- Some people have a problem with controlling their anger, and often tend to project their anger, through explosive outrages. This type of venting out is not just harmful for the person concerned, but also the people around them. The people, who don’t keep a check on their fits of temper, may isolate themselves from friends, families and social activities. It is generally seen that the people who have a habit of getting too animate, when angry, generally have low self-esteem. So they use their anger as a jack, to boost their ego, to feel powerful and to manipulate others.

Anger repression–Some people think that anger is a bad emotion. Some of them choose to suppress it. But what they don’t see, and consider, is that bottled anger can turn back on to them and cause anxiety and depression. Many a times, these people vent the bottled anger on the innocent, such as family members, children and pets.

Healthy ways of venting-out:

• When you feel that you are losing control, just walk away from that situation, till you cool down.

• Accept and embrace anger as one of the natural emotions and a part of life.

• Try to define the pressure points of your anger. You can jot down all the factors which trigger your anger.

• Once you have done that, try to figure out ways to rectify those pressure points.

• Going out for a run helps to vent out and refreshes your mind with the added perks of being healthy.

• Get a punching bag and have punching sessions as it can also be very helpful, both for the mind and the body.

• Playing games like Squash, tennis and football helps in taking out the anger, the healthy way.

• Painting, writing and playing instruments/singing can help in expressing anger in a positive way, and are the most expressive ways to project your anger.

• Meditation and Yoga are ways in which you can just come to a state of peace, and feel the contrasting difference within yourself.

• Listening to music and laughing will also help you vent out the anger, positively.