Anger Management : Impact of anger on mind and body.

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From the article: Anger and Hatred: Psycho-spiritual Dimensions Dr. Thara srinivasan A renowned psychiatrist, the author is the Director, Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai. ¨ (From The Vedanta Keshari, Published from The Ramakrishna Math, Chennai) Anger Management. Many spiritual leaders including Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Aurobindo feel

that what matters most in removal of anger is a sincere desire. If one decides to get rid of anger, it means he commissions his mental will into action against a vital movement (vital means nervous and anger is a movement of the nerves). Mind is the most developed part of man and will is the most powerful part of the mind. It is natural that a higher part is effective against a lower part. Once this decision is made, the removal is a matter of time. Still one has to give a conscious cooperation to the active will by loosening the various threads that constitute the anger-knot. If one examines an act of anger and considers only the habit part of it, how the habit was formed in the early stages and later organised itself, and constantly holds each bit of this gathering habit before the light of the mind, i.e. his decision, it can be seen that like a pile of mud

dissolving in the pouring rain, the habit gently but continuously yields. Once all the layers of habit are gone, we will feel the entire anger is gone until the next provocation. On the next occasion, when he gets angry, he can see the roots of anger, its real original force, but its volume and duration would have shrunk a great deal. Recognising early signals of anger is the first step in anger management. Once this is done, the individual must caution himself not to have outbursts, but engage in some activity, even if it is non-productive. Moving away from the scene if possible, drinking water, taking a deep breath are some of the simple strategies recommended. While it is desirable to identify the triggers for anger, it may not always be an easy task. These triggers may be anything from just a particular word or even smell to the presence of

a person not liked. One often has to think about it while one is calm and quiet and try to increase the time between impulse and action. Having identified the triggers, it is equally critical to reshape the response. Anger calls forth anger. It requires great effort to be able to respond to anger with some other emotion, preferably a positive one. But with persistent and patient training of the mind, anger can be transformed into compassion and patience. Impact of Anger on the Mind and Body Doctors have noticed several physiological and psychological manifestations of a prolonged anger status or hostility. Increased gastric secretion resulting in gastritis or peptic ulcers, increased or

fluctuating blood pressure, frequent headaches, aches in the neck or back, skin problems, increased vulnerability to heart attacks are the physical manifestations. People with frequent anger outbursts may also have poor judgement, anxiety, depression, and tendency to divert the anger onto oneself or others. Interpersonal problems often result from this. Anger is also associated with disorders such as epilepsy, early stages of dementia and some psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, mania, depression and even obsessive-compulsive states. Withdrawal of addictive substances such as alcohol, nicotine, barbiturates, and morphine group of drugs can all result in irritability, anger, and depression. "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." -

Aurobindo.

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