Anger Management

You feel it. It sneaks up on you without warning. First, your heart rate speeds up. Your hands may become clammy, your brow - sweaty. Your jaws are clenched, and you may feel jumpy or nervous. And sometimes you actually feel it welling inside you, to the point of boiling over!

Sometimes its builds up slow and festers, and other times, it happens so fast, you just explode. You could be anywhere, anytime - and the worst part? No one can hide from it. Everyone is at risk. It is the hidden monster inside us all - that little thing called anger.

"Anger" is defined as: violent, vindictive passion: sudden and strong displeasure, as a result of injury, opposition or mistreatment. Whereas "rage" is defined as: violent anger; wrath; fury; extreme eagerness or emotion; to speak, act or move with unrestrained anger; fell or show violent anger (1). Anger and rage send your body in "emergency mode" - where your body releases stress hormones and sends a heavy jolt through your nervous system. This can cause you to do things you may regret later.

Come on, I know you know the feeling. You are running late for work and someone cuts you off, your spouse is late for dinner and the kids are bickering endlessly - all common causes for anger, especially after a frustrating day. We've all been there at one time or another.

In today's fast-paced world, with the juggling act between family and work, and the ever-constant struggle between responsibility and desires, anger is a normal part of our lives. The problem lies in individual's threshold, which can change day-by-day, even minute-by-minute.

But, don't despair. Anger is normal. The trick is to get a gripe before it causes more damage. Anger has been linked to digestive problems, headaches, even visual disturbances, not to mention high blood pressure, heart problems, even some types of cancer, especially when anger is allowed to well up inside you.

Releasing stress and pent-up anger is essential to your emotional well-being. And, there are actually some things you can try to control your anger without letting it go awry: