Fit of anger
Friday 22 January 2010
We all feel angry once in a while, but if you find yourself constantly flying off the handle for no reason at all, there could be external factors coming into play.
What is anger?
Anger is a natural feeling that affects every single one of us and causes a combination of physical and mental changes. Anger can sometimes be good for you, in some cases even making you more alert and giving you strength.
But anger can also make you lash out and act irrationally. If you get so uncontrollably angry that it clouds your thinking and causes you to take it out on people around you, then you might need extra support. Take our short stress test to find out whether you blow a fuse too often.
Triggers
There are a number of factors that are within your control that can affect your ability to control your anger.
Diet
Sweets, chocolates and ready-made meals are convenient when you’re looking for a quick fix, but they’re also quite bad for you. Most of them contain a lot of sugar which increases your blood sugar levels. They make you feel giddy at first but when the levels come crashing down, you’ll start to feel irritable and sluggish. You might get a really bad migraine too.
To help you figure out whether you’re eating unhealthily, try to keep a food diary. Note down what you’re consuming for brekkie, lunch and dinner, and whether these meals are providing you with any type of nutrition. Next time you feel angry why not look back at what you ate a few hours earlier. Could a sugar crash be the trigger for your irritability?
You could also try the NHS healthy eating self-assessment.
Hormones
When something makes you cross or stressed your body goes through sudden hormonal changes. Stress chemicals, such as adrenaline and cortisol, surge through your body and heighten your senses. Your heartbeat speeds up, your muscles feel tight and some people turn as red as a tomato. The longer you dwell on the cause, the longer the hormones work overtime. This means you’ll feel angry for longer.
The changes you experience during puberty are also due to hormones. They cause you to go through physical changes over a number of years during your teens.
These kinds of hormonal fluctuations can also affect your temper and mood.
Sleep
Do you ever experience road rage when you’re in your car? Recent studies have shown that it could be due to sleep deprivation.
Researchers at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital have been studying the link between sleep and mood for years. “People see sleep as a time of doing nothing, yet your body is repairing, your mind is dealing with the emotion of the day. It's important stuff,” explains Dr. Neil who is helping to conduct the study.
Without a good few hours of shut eye, you won’t be able to physically or mentally cope with the day’s events. According to experts, teens need more sleep than adults, and should get eight or nine hours of sleep a night. Here are some ways to help you doze off.
Bipolar
In really serious cases, random bursts of anger could be a sign of being bipolar. This is a mental disorder that affects mood. It causes you to go through phases of extreme depression, such as emptiness and exhaustion, and mania. If you have these symptoms, don't worry, you may just be going through a stressful period but it might be worth contacting your GP as soon as you can.
Practical moves
There are lots of practical steps you can make to help you manage your anger. Next time you feel ready to burst:-
- The old cliche of counting to 100 works. Stop. Give yourself a few minutes to let your hormones stabilise and you should feel better.
- Breathe deeply and slowly. Every time you feel angry take three deep breaths. The more you do it the more it works as your body will start associating this with the act of calming down.
- Think about something or someone that makes you smile or laugh. This will make you feel a lot calmer.
- Get active. Take up a hobby that requires you to keep moving and break a sweat - exercise is a great release.
- Eat healthily. Your body needs different types of nutrients and you’ll get them by eating a variety things. Never skip brekkie either. Without it you’ll have no fuel to get you through the morning.
- Talk it over – why wait to lash out when you could release your anger sensibly?
If you still can’t control your anger then speak to your GP. They may be able to suggest some self-help or anger management techniques.
