Anger and irritability
What is anger?
Anger is a natural human emotion, as fundamental as joy, sadness, anxiety, or disgust. These emotions are tied to basic survival and have been refined throughout human history. Anger is related to the sympathetic nervous system’s “fight, flight, or freeze” response, preparing people to fight. But fighting doesn’t necessarily mean physical blows. Anger can be useful, warning us when we need to be alert or solve a problem to protect ourselves or make necessary changes in our lives.
Uncontrolled anger alienates friends, colleagues, and family members. It also has a clear connection to health problems and early mortality. The prolonged release of stress hormones associated with anger can destroy neurons in brain areas related to decision-making and short-term memory and weaken the immune system.
For those struggling with chronic anger or those who experience occasional outbursts, the skills to identify and manage this powerful emotion can lead to growth and change.
Sometimes, anger can be experienced as constant irritation. Repressed anger can be just as harmful and pose a significant problem for mental health.
Types of anger problems:
- Internal anger – directed inward and may include dark and depressive thoughts and negative self-talk. Self-punishment is usually associated with internal anger, such as denying oneself enjoyable activities. This can even mean denying basic needs (like food).
- External anger – involves expressing anger verbally or physically towards other people and things. This can include breaking things and attacking others, as well as shouting and cursing.
- Passive anger – also known as passive-aggressive behavior. This can involve actions like being sarcastic or belittling others.
When anger consistently turns into rage and violence, it is important to seek help, as such behavior can harm both oneself and others. Sometimes, these symptoms may also indicate another mental health condition.
Symptoms of anger:
- Increased heart rate
- Shouting
- Tense muscles
- Feeling of tightness in the chest
- Nervousness
- Feeling hot
- Difficulty relaxing
- Irritability
- Ignoring others
- Physical aggression
- Self-harming behavior
- Breaking things
Causes of anger problems:
We learn to cope with emotions in childhood. If a child constantly sees adults shouting at each other or experiences domestic violence, anger problems can persist into adulthood. Equally problematic is if expressing emotions is not allowed in childhood, leading to difficulties in healthily expressing anger.
Anger can also be triggered by circumstances such as traumatic experiences, including abuse, crime, and other events that make one feel powerless or cause great stress.
Sources
psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/anger
mentalhelp.net/anger/what-is-it/
webmd.com/mental-health/signs-anger-issues
