Anger can send you to early grave

By JAMES GITAU

We all experience some negative emotions once in a while. In fact, emotions are our body’s language, just as thoughts are our brain’s language.

Our emotions and thoughts are interconnected. Most times, negative, or disempowering, emotions start with a negative thought. Say you think of your boss as an idiot. This will mostly likely trigger feelings of resentment or hatred.

The sad part is that it hardly ever ends there. The resentment will lead to more negative thoughts, and you will find yourself getting into a downward spiral of more negative feelings.

This state of mind is destructive, and takes away our natural state, which is happiness, as we saw in the last few articles.

Emotions play a very important role in protecting us and making our lives enjoyable. They cause us to move away from danger and react to sensory experiences.

Emotions can cause two people who were willing to die for each other want to kill each other. And this change can take place in just a few minutes; seemingly in an instant.

We have heard people say that being angry is a natural thing, and it is okay to get angry. At times, we explain to each other how somebody made us angry.

In some societies or families, almost everything is said in an angry or irritated tone, even when communicating with a child or animal. Is the default mode, so to speak.

When I was growing up, I was a very angry child. In fact, I was angry most of my life. I would cry or sulk for a long time over what I now recognise as minor things. My relatives said I had taken after my grandfather.

You have probably heard people justifying anger because of where they come from. There are communities said to be hot tempered.

Anger is our instinctive response to perceived danger. It comes when we feel threatened. It is usually our way of saying, “ I’m scared out of my wits. So I will kill you before you kill me!” So we scream or show our irritation towards the ‘enemy’ in the hopes that he or she will back off.

If the perceived enemy does not back off and is stronger or more dangerous than us, we resort to the next best option: Run for dear life.

You might ask, “Does anger or irritation towards my child for breaking a plate mean I feel threatened?” The answer is ‘yes’.

You most likely feel the loss of the plate as some form of threat, perhaps to your finances, which most people equate to their survival, at the subconscious level. That is why if it is your house-help who breaks the plate, your first instinct is to announce that you will be deducting the cost of the plate from her salary.

Can anger kill you?

However, what most people do not know is that anger is not our natural state, and, in fact, is one of the most destructive emotions.

Research has shown that the release of certain chemicals in response to anger damages the cardiovascular system.

Intense anger floods the body with adrenaline and cortisol, which is a normal part of our bodies’ attempt to modulate stress. However, when it becomes a chronic habit, these chemicals cause extreme wear and tear on the cardiovascular system, as well as other organ systems.

This way, chronic anger may increase the risk of atherosclerosis: It causes the heart to pump harder, raises blood pressure, constricts blood vessels and releases higher levels of glucose into the blood, which can damage the walls of your arteries by causing the buildup of fatty plaque.

The chemistry of chronic anger and stress can lead to other health problems as well, such as increased anxiety, depression, insomnia, digestive problems, headaches, skin problems and stroke.

Learning how to manage your anger appropriately can lead to positive improvements in your health. But the opposite can dispatch you to an early meeting with your maker.