Stress and Anger Management

Stress is the most common cause of ill health in our society.

The need to look a certain way, act a certain way, feel a certain way and be everything to everyone causes undue stress, as well as the demands of living life on life’s terms.

Studies have shown that stress is the underlying cause of 70% of visits to the doctors’ office. Some studies have also shown that constant stress has been linked to certain kinds of cancer, allergies, respiratory problems, and a host of other illnesses that could be relieved or even avoided if stress was reduced.

Stress and anger can become your comfort zone. Letting anger become your comfort zone dictates your thoughts, behavior and reaction.

Anger becomes routine, and you respond to situations without thinking about what’s taking place because anger has become your natural response. Anger can take many forms such as chaos, confusion, hurt, guilt, pain, and frustration to name a few.

Becoming comfortable with anger causes you to respond to situations that don’t warrant an angry response and sometimes leave you wondering why you reacted to a specific situation or person with anger.

How anger and stress work…

Anger management and stress management work in similar ways. This is partly because anger and stress both have a psychological component, so they can be managed psychologically. 

Stress and anger can cause significant physical symptoms in addition to the behaviors that most people think of as ‘short-temper’ or yelling, swearing and blaming.

We experience “good stress” and “bad stress.” An example of “good stress” would be when you’re planning for a joyous occasion or event. “Bad stress” would be when there is a problem or situation that has taken a front seat in your life, and you would rather it not be there.

Stress is a natural response in which the body senses a real or perceived threat and responds with a heightened sense of awareness, etc. It is a healthy and protective mechanism designed to keep you safe when you are in imminent danger.

Stress can become unhealthy and possibly morph into a disorder when you are in a consistent state of anxiousness, nervousness, irritability, etc., and have a general feeling that something is about to go wrong.

Stress also has the potential to affect your ability to carry out activities of daily living. Be it good or bad, your body still reacts in the same manner (the fight or flight response).

Anger is one of the most challenging of emotions.

People are sometimes afraid of their anger, or may they consider it inappropriate to even feel anger.

Not only that, when anger is misdirected, it often leads to poor choices, damaged relationships, and even violence. However, anger can become your asset if channeled properly.

Becoming stressed or angry is inevitable. The key is learning to manage your stress and anger by creating outlets and resolving those issues or problems that are causing it.