Whoever is accompanied by anger does not end his or her day well

Human beings can experience many emotions; anger is one of them. There is consensus that this is a basic emotional reaction for adaptation and survival.

It is normal to get angry sometimes; in fact, it may be necessary to get angry sometimes. However, if we lose control of this emotion and it becomes destructive, many problems arise in interpersonal relationships and in life in general. That is why it is very necessary to have mechanisms and resources to control it in a healthy way.

Anger is an emotional response characterized by a physiological activation that is accompanied by feelings of annoyance or anger. It can appear in certain circumstances, for example, when a goal or objective is not achieved, when a need is not satisfied, when our interests are harmed or when someone feels threatened.

In general, unpleasant experiences favor the emotion of anger and facilitate the expression of aggressive behaviors. It is evident that it is aimed at showing our dissatisfaction and results fundamentally before other members of our social group.

Anger prepares the body and mind for action, stimulates the nervous system by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, blood flow to the muscles, blood sugar levels and perspiration. It also focuses the senses and increases the production of adrenaline, a hormone produced in times of stress. In this sense, it behaves in the same way as other emotions (fear, for example).

It is also thought to affect the way we think. When faced with a threat, anger helps us translate complex information into simple terms: 'good' or 'bad'. This can be useful in an emergency so that we do not waste valuable time with information that does not instantly affect our safety. However, it can mean that we act before we have considered what is relevant to make a rational decision about how to behave. When anger gets in the way of rational thinking we may give rise to the urge to act aggressively, driven by the instinct to survive, or as a function of protecting ourselves from a threat (real or perceived).

The expression of anger refers to the aspects that we can observe in the behavior of a person showing anger such as the characteristic expression of the face, exaltation, flushing of the skin, muscular changes, tone and volume of the voice, posture and movements, among other manifestations.

Numerous research findings indicate that anger and hostility may contribute to the genesis of some common medical problems including hypertension, coronary heart disease and cancer. These findings also indicate that the intensity of anger experienced and the pathway by which it is expressed (external vs. internal) are critical variables.

External expression of anger refers to when the projection of anger lets the other know that we are angry through our gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice. While the internal expression refers to the projection of anger "inward", that is, not to the visible manifestations for others but to the innermost ones, we know it thanks to the feelings of tension or the thoughts of revenge and hostility that we generate. The latter can be as or more dangerous than the former.

When a person has difficulty expressing anger, he or she runs the risk of being ignored or abused by others. There is a saying that goes: "It is better to turn red once than yellow a hundred times". When we suffer from anxiety, embarrassment, blushing or anger, sometimes we are unable to say what we are thinking, but expressing it is better than keeping it quiet.

Certain situations such as chronic pain, stress, noise, heat or any condition that favors an increase in physiological activation, can propitiate or favor angry reactions. In general, and as we have already mentioned, these reactions arise in situations in which the person considers that his or her rights or interests have been violated. It is a form of self-defense, of giving an energetic and rapid response in order to modify the behavior of others, restore the objectives and recover the rights that have been ignored or violated.

Some people have serious anger management problems and become a ticking time bomb.

Usually these emotions and reactions are contained in pursuit of common rules of coexistence. We learn to express anger by explaining to others why an attitude bothers us, we suppress angry impulses by silencing thoughts or focusing on something positive, and we even learn to calm down by reducing internal responses (the famous "count to ten" or "take a deep breath").

However, in some people these techniques are not enough. This may be due to genetic causes (they are born with a tendency to irritability, impulsivity and aggressiveness), psychological (personal traumas and dysfunctional families can generate individuals with difficulty controlling their anger) and sociocultural (in some societies an important value is placed on self-control and anger inhibition, in others it is not).

In Islam, anger is considered a sign of weakness. Muhammad said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes people by his strength, but strong is the one who controls himself while suffering from anger." For his part, the Roman philosopher Seneca, sentenced, "Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured."

In addition, the truth is that at the end of the day those who remain flooded with fury, anger and hostility, are mentally exhausted, have a headache and may even have gotten into a real mess.