ANGER: SHOULD IT BE MANAGED OR EXPRESSED FULLY?

Anger is a natural and healthy emotion. It is the response people usually have to disappointing or threatening experiences. It can also be a side effect of sadness, loneliness, or fear.

The journal CNS Spectrum posited in 2015 that, 7.8% of people worldwide experienced "inappropriate, intense, or poorly controlled" anger. It is also said to be more common in adult men than women.

However, anger may occur disproportionately to its activation. This is to say that anger can seem to come out of nowhere, especially when the individual in question allows his/her feelings to take control. In a situation like this, an emotion as strong as anger can interfere with one's decision-making, damage relationships, or cause harm in some other ways.

Feeling angry often, and to the highest degree, can affect a person's relationships, psychological well-being, and quality of life. On the other hand, suppressing and storing anger can also have adverse and lasting effects on various aspects of an individual’s life.

Carefully outlined in this article are steps one can take to manage temperament issues, rather than allowing it to  grow sporadically:

●       Anger management training is one way to go about it. It encompasses a range of helpful tactics that can help recognize the signs of anger and positively deal with triggers. It helps one identify anger at an early stage and also express their need while remaining calm and in control.

In anger management training, a person learns to:

✔      identify triggers, respond constructively during the initial phase of the tantrum or before it regulates irrational and extreme thought processes,

✔      express feelings and needs assertively but calmly in situations that tend to incite anger and frustration and redirect energy and resources to problem-solving.

Anger management therapy can take place in group sessions or individual consultations with a counselor or psychotherapist. If a person has been diagnosed with a mental health problem, such as depression, this affects their anger management. 

Coping with anger does not involve holding it back or avoiding the emotions associated with it. Dealing with anger is a learnable skill – almost anyone can learn to control their emotions with time, patience, and dedication.

●       When anger negatively affects a relationship, and especially if it leads to violent or dangerous behavior, it will be highly beneficial and rewarding to consult a mental health professional or take a course on anger therapy. This will serve as an antidote to get rid of all the negativities created during the anger phase.

While getting professional help is an efficient way of managing anger, some people believe they can fix these problems without seeking professional help.

So, the question is, how right are they?   

The Mind, a leading pathway to mental and health charity, identifies three important steps to anger management:

●       Recognizes the early signs of anger.

●       Gives time and space to deal with triggers.

●       Applies techniques that can help control anger. 

Hence, inasmuch as anger is difficult to stop, early detection of emotions can be essential. It can allow a person to redirect their thought process to a more constructive place.

So, while some persons may find it easy to control their anger without medical intervention, others can get a good grip on their emotions only after they’ve seen a professional, which is completely fine.

Getting angry often has numerous effects on the body. This is because anger makes the body release adrenaline, the "fight or flight" hormone that prepares a person for conflict or danger. This can cause the following effects: heart palpitations, breathing faster, tension throughout the body, restlessness, walking, and stomping, clenched fists and jaw,s and sweating, and chills. This physical impact can signal a proportional response to a situation.

Overall, early recognition of the signs can help a person assess whether the trigger justifies this physical response or not.  If needed, they can take steps to manage their physical stress (most times, anger can be associated with stress especially when someone is subjected to overbearing work conditions)

 Anger management techniques can help calm a person down or distract them long enough to process thoughts constructively. Different techniques work for different people, but finding the right one can help ease extreme anger.

Some of these techniques include:

●       Deep-slow breathing: Focus on each breath as it comes in and out, and try to spend more time exhaling than inhaling.

●       Reduction of physical stress: Try to stretch each part of the body for a count of 10, then relax.

●       Mindfulness: Meditation is an example of mindfulness techniques, and these techniques can help distract the mind from anger in triggered situations, especially after consistent practice.

●       Exercise: Physical activity is a great way to use up excess adrenaline. Brisk running or walking or combat sports, such as boxing or martial arts, can be helpful solutions to aggressive or conflicting feelings

●       Find alternative channels to release anger: This can help express anger in a way that limits harm to others, such as tearing up newspapers, slamming ice cubes on the sink, or punching or yelling. scream into the pillow.

●       Create a distraction: Distracting techniques, such as dancing to energizing music, taking a relaxing bath, or building, fixing, writing, or drawing, can help steer you away from the problem. When you're about to talk about frustration with a friend about your age, it can help you plan what to say. This can help maintain the focus and direction of the conversation and reduce the risk of erroneous anger.

In addition, focusing on solutions rather than problems increases the chances of resolution and reduces the likelihood of an angry response.

Also, getting at least 7 quality hours of sleep per night contributes to mental and physical health. Researchers have linked sleep deprivation to several health problems, including irritability and anger.

It is important to note that anger issues rarely exist in isolation. They can be the result of a variety of other mental health problems, including Alcohol or drug addiction, bipolar disorder, schizoid personality disorder, Psychosis, and unstable personality disorder.

Addressing the underlying issues can help reduce feelings of disproportionate anger. However, sometimes, a person needs to control their anger in their own way.

In conclusion, anger isn’t the type of emotion one can leave unchecked. Anger should be managed because full expression of one’s anger can lead to the destruction of lots of things from relationships to well-being and several other aspects of a person’s life. Learning to recognize and manage the spectrum of anger can help people identify when they are really angry and when they react harshly to smaller frustrations. The main goal is to help people discover and act on these differences. 

Name:Okpeta, Gideon Iching

State code:Os/22B/1467

Course of study:Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology

Institution:Akanu Ibiam federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Ebonyi State

State of origin: Cross River