Rein in your anger

Anger is one of the basic emotions in an individual. It takes little for some to hit back at the person or object annoying them. The threshold limit for anger is very low for such persons. For yet a few it takes a bit more to ruffle feathers.

A person who knows no anger has reached a state of spiritual oblivion or “sthitaprajna” state and can be likened to the lighthouse that remains steady despite the furious waves lashing around it, while it beautifully beams a light, acting as a beacon to seafarers, unlike an angry person who is like a rocking boat on turbulent waters.

Anger is not a physiological need like hunger, thirst or sleep. It is not a necessity to be appeased by an individual. Lord Krishna has stated in the Gita that from anger arises delusion, which further leads to confusion and loss of reason whereupon one is fully ruined. Scientifically, it could be likened to an amygdala hijack wherein one’s sense of reason is overpowered by the emotional memory bank — the amygdala in the brain — and one reacts in a way that one would rather forget than recollect.

Prophet Mohammed has said that a strong man is not a good wrestler, the strong man is only the one who controls himself when he is angry. The Christian book of proverbs reiterates, “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city”. Anger directed at oneself, or at inhumane acts, may prove motivational, but never does any good when directed at others.

Anger may cause physiological harm by increasing blood pressure which in turn has a cascading ill-effect on one’s health. Anger has proven negative metabolic, psychological and emotional repercussions. It seems prudent to give it up in phases — if not in one go — and see the difference in the quality of one’s life.

Accept your anger consciously, but do not act upon it. Calm your anger by identifying the triggers and delaying your response or diverting your mind to something else. Start today through a conscious choice to remain unperturbed in a troublesome scenario on a daily basis. The situation may seem unfair or overwhelming. Stay in control, don’t allow the circumstances to overpower you.

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