Understanding Anger: A Journey into Our Emotions

Hello and welcome to our new series on anger and resentment. Today, we begin a journey to understand anger, we will explore its causes, triggers, and how it influences us.

Have you ever found yourself puzzled by your own reactions or wondered why a trivial annoyance escalated into a fierce outburst? You are not alone!

The Tale of the Storm Inside

Anger is as universal as emotions like sadness, happiness, disgust, fear, and surprise. It's a basic emotion that everyone has likely expressed at one time or another, regardless of age, gender, religion, or nationality.

Anger is like that guest who shows up uninvited to your party and sometimes it just refuses to leave. It pops up when we feel mistaken or threatened, when things seem unfair, or when we're just frustrated. But guess what? It serves a purpose. It pushes us to change, to defend ourselves, to stand up and move on. I know I am contradicting your preset notion about anger.

When we understand our anger and its origins, we can navigate our response more skilfully, without letting it overturn our party. When we learn how and why we respond to a situation in a particular way, slowly, we will become more mindful of our reaction and at that time we will notice how anger is helping us to grow.

What Happens When We Get Angry?

Let’s take a moment to understand what type of anger you experience:

1. Passive Aggressive Anger: Often silent but deadly, this type is expressed through sarcasm, silent treatment, and subtle acts that speak volumes.
2. Open Aggression: Loud and clear, this type involves shouting, slamming doors, or even getting physical.
3. Assertive Anger: The healthiest form, where one expresses their feelings and needs clearly without hurting others.

Let’s examine what happens within you when you get angry. I invite you to pause for a moment.

Take a few deep breaths and draw your attention inward. Think about the last time you felt anger stirring inside you.

What did it feel like?

Did you notice any physical changes in your body?

Perhaps a part of you wanted to shout or stand up for itself.

Could you express your anger as you wished, or did you suppress it, fearing the potential harm to your relationships?

Our body's fight or flight response kicks in when we get angry. Heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and adrenaline floods within us, preparing us for action. This physiological change is why anger can feel so overpowering.

Remember, recognizing that you are angry and observing your reaction is a crucial first step towards understanding the origin of it.

Conclusion

Today’s discussion is just the beginning of our exploration into anger. By understanding the different types of anger and how we express them, we took the first step in becoming more mindful of our responses, either in a healthy or unhealthy manner. Our goal throughout this series will be to understand our response so deeply that we can transform our relationship with anger.

Spend 15 minutes every morning or night and do the above reflective activity. Don’t hesitate to share your reflections. Your insights enrich our community and inspire others to look inward and move forward with the purpose.

Don’t miss our next blog, we will be using today's reflections to go deeper into finding the origins of anger, see you next time on Habitize.club!