Anger can be likened to a bush set on fire during harmattan season. For anyone who had witnessed this scenario, one can conveniently say that fire has no respect for any tree during this period. It consumes without leaving anything behind. Anger is a wild fire that consumes its victim mercilessly. That was probably why Maya Angelo, a writer said, “…but anger is like fire, it burns all clean.” Anger has no respect for gender, religion, creed, status or age.
For instance, what on earth could make a man who occupies an exalted position which had in turn made him a cynosure of all eyes to throw all caution into the wind and put on the garment of temporary insanity all because of a minor issue which culminated into him being angry? Horace, a Roman poet said “Anger is a momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you.”
Anger is "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage," Dr Charles Spielberger. In his definition of anger, Dr. Kayode Joshua of Redeemer's Maternity said, “Anger is a latent emotion of varying intensity in all animals including man. Dr. Raymond Lloyd Richmond believes anger is a fact of life. “Our world is filled with violence, hatred, war, and aggression. Psychologically, many theories of human development focus on the infant's struggle with anger and frustration and the primitive fantasies of aggression, guilt, and reparation that result from these feelings. In essence, we grow up with anger right from the beginning of life.”
If it has been established that we grew up with anger from an early age, it then means there is a need for an urgent attention to uproot the bad seed which was planted in us at a tender age that we had become accustomed to. It has become so bad that some of us even see anger as a way of life. For those who are conversant with the Bible, a misappropriate use of the scripture, 'be angry and sin not' has become an excuse for us to be angry but is it actually 100% correct to be angry and not sin? Irrespective of the fact that some believe we grew up with anger or that the situations around arouse anger in us, there is a need to deal with this strange growth that is consuming every virtue in us.
What leads to anger?
According to Pastor Tope Oduseso of CTI Micro finance bank, Lagos, “Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person (such as a co-worker or supervisor) or event (a traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying or brooding about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings.”
Mild forms of human anger may include displeasure, irritation or dislike. When we react to frustration, criticism or a threat, we may become angry - and usually this is a healthy response. Anger may be a secondary response to feeling sad, lonely or frightened.
A thousand and one things can lead to anger. For example, when another car suddenly cuts in front of your car on the road, adrenaline pumps into your bloodstream. Your heart rate jumps. Your blood pressure surges. These things however, are just immediate fight-or-flight physiological responses to a perceived threat. Then, in a split second, as a psychological reaction to those immediate physiological responses, indignation and animosity toward the other driver overrun your mind. After these feelings erupt, you fall into the desire for revenge. You honk your horn. You give a dirty look. You scream a curse. And there you have it: anger.
For some of us, anything can lead to anger; from a cup that is not well placed, to a bed not well laid, to a salary not paid on time, to people who don't give us due respect that we feel should accrue to us. The list is endless. Dr (Mrs.) Jumoke Odunsi, MD, Wellcare Home Medicals, Lagos, disclosed that we sometimes become angry when we expect much from others, especially our subordinates.
It should however be noted that there are normal and abnormal responses to anger. Dr. Kayode Joshua disclosed that anger triggers fight or flight responses; the brain shunts away blood from the gut to the muscles in preparation for physical action to be taken either to fight or to flight. At these state, responses in the body such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, skin perspiration etc start. “Anger has overpowered him, and driven him to a revenge which was rather a stupid one, I must acknowledge, but anger makes us all stupid.” Johanna Spyri, Swiss writer.
Despite our justification of getting angry which is sometimes unnecessary, anger has some health implications which are not positive.
Health problems of anger
Anger is a powerful emotion. However, if not handled appropriately, may have destructive results. Uncontrolled anger can lead to arguments, physical fights, physical abuse, assault and self-harm.
The constant flood of stress chemicals and associated metabolic changes that accompany recurrent 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
· Death
Studies have shown that survivor of heart attack who gets angry easily are twice at risk of having another heart attack.
It is worthy of note to state clearly that repressed or bottled anger and anger explosion is dangerous to our health; Anger repression or bottled anger often turns to depression, anxiety and murder plans and eventually murder may be committed. Some even vent their bottled anger on innocent ones like children. Anger explosions lead to physical abuse, isolation, suicide or murder.
Anger and relationships
According to Dr. (Mrs.) Odunsi, if not well managed, anger can create unnecessary fear in the hearts of your sub-ordinates and may even strain your work relationship as they see you as madam know all who becomes touchy at any mistake.
Furthermore, if we are always quick tempered, it keeps us at a distance as many do not want to come near us because of our disposition.
Freedom is curtailed as the other party does not know what to expect from the aggrieved person.
According to Pastor Oduseso, when anger becomes a full-blown rage, our judgment and thinking can become impaired and we are more likely to do and say unreasonable and irrational things.
Anger acts like a poison in our own heart that ultimately degrades the quality of our lives as much as it hurts the life of another person. “An angry man is always a stupid man.”Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist. So, even though anger may be “natural”that is, a commonly occurringsocial reaction to hurt and insult, yet being natural doesn't make it good for us. Sure, “natural” foods are commonly advertised as being healthy and good for us. Poisons, for example, are also natural, and poisons, by definition, are deadly. Dr. Raymond
How to manage anger
Pastor Oduseso believes it is not necessarily a sin to be angry. Certainly God does not expect us to rejoice when people do wrong. We must be angry at sin. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). Jesus also was angry when he overturned the moneychangers' tables as he cleansed the temple (Mark 11:15-17). However, when we are angry, we want to make sure that our anger does not venture into sin because many sins committed in the wake of anger are like a hot water geyser. They build up and spew out without any control.
A Canadian writer, Laurence J. Peter said, “Speak when you are angryand you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret.” This is telling us to always be quiet anytime we are angry because it helps to control our tongues and not utter words that we'll regret when the anger has subsided. “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife” (Proverbs 15:18).
Learn to have a healthy response to feelings of hurt and insult. Follow the hurt back into its roots; go into the past to all those times and circumstances when you felt the same way and uproot it immediately because, failure to recognize old insults only makes the current insult seem far larger than it really is.
Stay away from revenge and learn to forgive easily. Revenge, is what we most commonly experience in our unconscious fantasies when we feel irritated and frustrated.
Dr. kayode said, when you feel out of control, walk away from the situation till you cool down. However, Pastor Oduseso said, when provoked, think before you become angry. Ask yourself a few simple questions. Is this situation worth it? Am I angry because of this situation, or am I angry because something bad in another part of my life is affecting my judgment? Is my getting angry going to affect people in a negative way and hinder good relationships?
Learn about techniques of conflict resolution; see a counselor or psychologist if you still feel angry about past events. Take regular exercise because it has been discovered that 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.
When we do get angry, we must control ourselves. No problems have ever been solved by losing control. Loss of control builds problems.
We must resolve our anger within the same day it is provoked. A sore left untreated will fester and fester until it becomes infected; it can then cause major complications with serious consequences. We only hurt ourselves when we let anger foster within us. Pastor Oduseso. Ephesians 4:26 says, “…let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
Above all, ask God for help.
This write up was published in the November 2011 edition of Redemption Light Magazine, the official publication of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
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