Stay Calm, Stay Safe Do you, like me, seem to hurt yourself a lot? - I'm not talking about seriously hurting myself, just bruised legs, banging my hip on a corner, stubbing my toes, hitting my thumb with a hammer, catching some loose clothing in a door handle and being yanked off my feet. Such minor injuries often seem to coincide with times of stress or anger, or when I'm flustered or in a rush. A recent article published by the Annals of Family Medicine has therefore confirmed what I'd suspected for a long time - that being angry makes us more likely to hurt or injure ourselves. The research, carried out at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and published in the Annals of Family Medicine defines two types of anger: state anger, which is anger occurring at a specified time, and trait anger, an ongoing aspect of personality, an "angry" personality. Research has long suggested that chronic anger is bad for your health,and that "trait anger," may have an increased risk of arterial aging, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and a depressed immune system. The AFM research also now suggests that state anger also increases the risk of injury, especially in men. The study looked at people who visited an emergency room for treatment of an injury and reported their emotions immediately prior to the injury. The majority were angry at the time of their injuries. Of a total of 2,417 emergency room patients interviewed for the study about their state of mind before they sustained an injury: - Nearly one-third of injured people surveyed said they were irritable just before their injuries.
- Eighteen per cent said they were angry and 13.2% said they were hostile.
- The anger levels among the injured people surveyed were higher than in a group of uninjured people surveyed about their anger levels during a regular day.
- The association between anger and injury was found to be much stronger in men than in women, the study found.
It seems obvious that we should all seek to reduce both our episodic anger and any long-term anger we feel, for the good of both our short term and long term health. But what's the best way to address these issues holistically? Exercise, especially swimming, a brisk swim or perhaps Yoga all help to calm me down. Yoga in particular, with its slow, stylised movements and breathing exercises is a perfect way to lose mental anger and tension, while calming the body. Deep breathing and simply talking to someone to vent your frustrations to a trusted friend are also great ways to diffuse anger. Keeping a journal is also suggested as a way to view anger from a distance. For myself I always try to think of times I've witnessed someone else's irrational or counterproductive anger, and thought that it would be much better to try to control the anger. If you have a chronic problem controlling your anger, it might be worth considering seeing an anger management counselor to learn how to decrease hostility and protect yourself from long-term health consequences. Listed below are some tips for controlling anger, and for staying safe when you're angry: - If you're angy or upset, don't start a task, especially a fiddly or annoying one. Go and have a cup of tea, sit in the garden, lie on the bed.
- If you feel hostile towards a particular person or group, take yourself away from them.
- Talk about it to someone you're not angry with, someone you can trust not to get upset if you vent your spleen to them. Remember, this is a two-way process, so be prepared another time to hear their own rants!
- Think about the times people have been angry when you weren't - viewing the event that's made you angry from a distance will help to put it in perspective. Have you ever been in a queue or missed a train and been irritated by a stranger who moans, tutts, sighs and generally gives in to their anger? Think about that and reflect on whether in the end it helped the situation.
- Time and distance really do give most events a better perspective. If you can put off whatever you were doing, it's much better in the long run.
- Rather than give in to your anger in a negative and destructive way, view it as the fuel to drive you to succeed, and stay safe!
- When you do start the task, count to 10, breathe deeply, and approach your project with a sense of calm to reduce your risk of injury.
Stay calm, stay safe! Source: (State Anger and the Risk of Injury: A Case-Control and Case-Crossover Study : Daniel C. Vinson, MD, MSPH and Vineesha Arelli, BS ) Margaret McGoverne is the founder of The Holistic Shop website: www.theholisticshop.com << Previous page |
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