Anger - How It Affects Your Health

Well-managed anger can be a useful emotion that motivates you to make positive changes. On the other hand, anger is a powerful emotion and if it isn’t handled appropriately, it may have destructive results for you and those closest to you. Uncontrolled anger can lead to arguments, physical fights, physical abuse, assault and self-harm.

Physical effects of anger

Anger triggers the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response. Other emotions that trigger this response include fear, excitement and anxiety. The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol.The brain shunts blood away from the gut and towards the muscles, in preparation for physical exertion. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, the body temperature rises and the skin perspires. The mind is sharpened and focused.

Health problems with anger

The constant flood of stress chemicals and associated metabolic changes that go with ongoing unmanaged anger can eventually cause harm to many different systems of the body.

Some of the short and long-term health problems that have been linked to unmanaged anger include:

• headache
• digestion problems, such as abdominal pain
• insomnia
• increased anxiety 
• depression
• high blood pressure
• skin problems, such as eczema
• heart attack
• stroke.

Expressing anger in healthy ways

Suggestions on how to express your anger in healthy ways include:

• If you feel out of control, walk away from the situation temporarily, until you cool down.
• Recognise and accept the emotion as normal and part of life.
• Try to pinpoint the exact reasons why you feel angry.
• Once you have identified the problem, consider coming up with different strategies for how to remedy the situation.
• Do something physical, such as going for a run or playing sport.
• Talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling.

Unhelpful ways to deal with anger

Many people express their anger in inappropriate and harmful ways, including:

• anger explosions – some people have very little control over their anger and tend to explode in rages. Raging anger may lead to physical abuse or violence. A person who doesn’t control their temper can isolate themselves from family and friends. Some people who fly into rages have low self-esteem, and use their anger as a way to manipulate others and feel powerful.

Dealing with arguments

When you have had an argument, it is easy to stay angry or upset with the other person. If you don't resolve an argument with a person you see often, it can be a very uncomfortable experience.

Talking to the person about your disagreement may or may not help. If you do approach them, make sure it is in a helpful way. Stay calm and communicate openly and honestly.

If the person could be violent or abusive, it may be best not to approach them directly. You could talk to them over the phone to see if they are open to finding a solution to the argument, if you feel safe to do so. It might be helpful to ask someone to be there with you, to give you support when you make the call and afterwards.

Try and tell the person how you feel as a result of their opinion, but avoid trying to tell them how they feel. It is possible to agree to disagree. You may need someone else to help you resolve the disagreement. You could ask a trusted third person to act as a go-between and help you both get another view on the argument.

Reasons for dealing with arguments

There are good reasons for dealing with arguments, including:

• It will give you a sense of achievement and make you feel more positive.
• You may feel more relaxed, healthier and more able to get a good night's sleep.
• You may develop stronger relationships.
• You may feel happier.

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Benefits of regular exercise in mood management

People who are stressed are more likely to experience anger. Numerous worldwide studies have documented that regular exercise can improve mood and reduce stress levels. This may be because physical exertion burns up stress chemicals, and it also boosts production of mood-regulating neurotransmitters in the brain, including endorphins and catecholamines.

You Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Ovens and grills help us stay fed. Heaters keep us warm. Cars take us where we want to go. And whenever we turn on devices that run on natural gas, charcoal, gasoline, wood, or other fuels, we have to use them the right way.

Carbon monoxide, produced any time a fossil fuel burns, is a gas you can’t see or smell.

Ovens, heaters and other devices put out little of it when they’re working properly. But if they’re out of order, or if people use them in the wrong places, the fumes can build up. This can be life-threatening.

There are things you can do to stay safe. And battery-operated detectors that are easy to find at stores can warn us of trouble.

How to Avoid Danger

Someone who is asleep can die from carbon monoxide poisoning without ever waking up. That’s all the more reason to make sure your home is safe.

When you buy appliances that burn fuel, look for the seal of a testing agency such as UL. In your home, any equipment should be installed with vents running outdoors.

Here are more tips:

• Maintenance: Have a qualified technician inspect your heating system, water heater and any other fuel-burning appliances every year. If you have a fireplace, the chimney needs a going-over.
• Emergency generators: Don’t use them in your garage or basement. Put them outside the house at least 20 feet from windows or doors.
• Charcoal grills and portable camp stoves: Use them only outdoors.

Space heaters: Use them only when someone is awake to keep an eye on them; make sure there is some airflow in and out of the room. Don’t try to use a gas oven for heat.

Signs That Equipment Is Out of Order

By keeping your eyes open, you may spot evidence that appliances are out of whack or something else is wrong. A few danger signals:

• Soot falling from fireplaces or appliances.
• Rust or water streaks on vents.
• Loose or disconnected vent pipes.
• Moisture inside windows.
• Cracked or crumbling masonry on a chimney.

If you see any of these, have a trained technician check them out and fix whatever needs it.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

These detectors are available at hardware stores and other retailers, and your home should have one or more.

Buy alarms that are certified by a testing laboratory. Follow the instructions about installation. Here are a few other guidelines:

• Detectors should go on each level of the home and outside each sleeping area.
• Test the alarms once a month. Some alarms also give off audible signals on their own if the battery runs low or they break down.
• If you have multiple alarms, connect them all together. That way, if one of them detects trouble, they all go off.
• Before there’s any trouble, ask your fire department for the number to call if the alarm goes off.
• If you have a boat or motor home, detectors are also available for there.

THE WORLD SAFTY AND SECURITY IS UNDER THREAT

This generation enjoys unprecedented technological, scientific and financial resources . . . And yet this is perhaps the first generation to take the world to the brink of a [political, economic, and environmental] systems breakdown.”​—The Global Risks Report 2018, World Economic Forum.

WHY ARE MANY INFORMED PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR FUTURE AND THAT OF THE EARTH? CONSIDER JUST SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FACING US.

A locked computer
CYBERCRIME: “Increasingly the internet is proving to be a dangerous place to visit. It is a haven for pedophiles, bullies, trolls and hackers,” says the newspaper The Australian. “Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world. . . . The internet provides another outlet for one of the worst traits of humankind​—the capacity to be vicious and cruel.”
Many hands reach for money

FINANCIAL INEQUALITY: According to a recent Oxfam International report, the eight richest people own the same amount of wealth as the poorer half of humanity. “Our broken economies,” said Oxfam, “are funnelling wealth to a rich elite at the expense of the poorest in society, the majority of whom are women.” Some fear that the growing inequality might trigger social unrest.

CONFLICT AND PERSECUTION: A 2018 United Nations Refugee Agency report said: “We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record.” More than 68 million people have had to leave their homes, largely because of conflict or persecution. “Nearly 1 person is forcibly displaced every two seconds,” said the report.
Pollution comes out of a smokestack

THREATS TO THE ENVIRONMENT: “Biodiversity is being lost at mass-extinction rates,” states The Global Risks Report 2018, and “pollution of the air and sea has become an increasingly pressing threat to human health.” Also, insect numbers are in steep decline in some lands. Because insects pollinate plants, scientists are now warning of a potential “ecological Armageddon.” Coral reefs are in trouble too. Scientists estimate that about half the world’s reefs have died in the past 30 years.
Are we able to make the changes needed for a safer and more secure world? Some feel that education should be part of the answer. If so, what kind of education?