BY CHERYL M. LUIS
EVERYONE of us is experiencing anger and depression nowadays. Some are angry for being laid-off due to closure of businesses, angry with what’s happening in politics, and angry of the continues lockdown because of COVID-19 pandemic.
Anger can be a common emotion also to people experiencing depression. You may feel angry at the world, angry about events from your past, or even angry at yourself. This anger can be intense and difficult to control to the point that it worsens your depression and affects your personal and professional relationships.
How could you manage these things? First, you should manage your anger. Anger management could help manage your depression, too. Here are some immediate techniques to try without seeking professional assistance. But of course, if this anger is negatively affecting a relationship, and especially if it is leading to violent or otherwise dangerous behavior, seek professional help immediately.
Control your anger
First recognize the early signs of anger. Give yourself time and space to process the triggers and apply some techniques that can help you to control the anger. Living with a positive attitude could also help.
Accept and recognize anger
Cnger can be difficult to stop in its tracks. Detecting the emotion early can be a key. It can allow a person to redirect their thought process to a more constructive place.
Anger causes a physical reaction in the body. It releases adrenaline, the “fight-or-flight” hormone that prepares a person for conflict or danger.
Some early signs of anger are rapid heartbeat, faster breathing, tension throughout the body, restlessness, pacing, and tapping of the feet, clenched fists, and jaw, sweating and trembling.
These physical effects can signal a proportionate response to a situation. Recognizing these signals early can help a person assess whether the trigger warrants this physical response.
Applying management techniques
Management techniques can help calm a person or distract them long enough to process the thoughts in a constructive way. These techniques are effective for different people but finding a method that works can be instrumental in defusing episodes of extreme anger.
Meditation is best for deep, slow breathing technique: Focus on each breath as it moves in and out and try to spend more time exhaling than inhaling.
Exercising and doing some physical activity is a great way to use up excess adrenalin. A brisk run or walk or combat sports, such as boxing or martial arts, can be useful outlets for aggressive or confrontational feelings.
Finding alternative channels for anger can help to express anger in a way that limits harm to others, such as tearing newspaper, crushing ice cubes over a sink, or punching or screaming into a pillow.
Distraction techniques, such as dancing to energetic music, taking a relaxing shower, or building, fixing, writing, or drawing, can provide distance from the issue.
Sharing your burden to your peers, it can help to plan what to say. This can help maintain focus and direction in the conversation and reduce the risk of misguided anger.
Also, focusing on solutions rather than problems increases the chances of a resolution and reduces the likelihood of being angry and depress.
Getting at least seven hours of quality sleep every night also contributes to mental and physical health. Being angry not just your help will be affected but also your social standing and skills.
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Cheryl M. Luis is the wife of George N. True II. Like her husband, she advocates health and lifestyle writing and vows to continue “Health Frontiers” as her husband’s legacy./PN
