The Anger Factor-It Feels Like Anger….

Greetings,

I never put much thought into the aspect of anger and rage going hand in hand with anxiety, however it does. I find myself weak and powerless in my anxiety in most scenarios. I wish at times I could be fueled with that anger, anger makes me feel powerful and strong. Anger makes me able to walk across town to my Mom’s house. On the other hand with the power of anger comes the displeasure of living with someone with anger. Words can be more powerful than a fist and the pain and bruising from words can last a life time.

 Hostility and anger can be a part of your anxiety. I find myself wondering, it this more predominate in men or just those loose cannons out in the world. Seeing a lot of people with anger issues and issues with temper I wonder how many of these people have issues with anxiety.

“Experts believe this suggests that anger and anxiety go hand in hand, and that heightened levels of anger are uniquely related to GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)  status.” (Nauert, 2012) Some people will strike out, physically or verbally while others will let the anger fester inside till it boils over. In your treatment and recovery-on your road back to wellness these are parts of your disorder that need to be addressed.  How do we address this? Talk therapy, medication, the usual…or the alternatives. Physical activity(just got home from a walk that I needed), yoga, dance, martial arts, and meditation. Some school of thought use a journaling process where you are rating your anger and rage, we can take this to the next step and write what was going on during this anger and rage. This is really a pretty common practice in any scenario, if you are dealing with anxiety, depression, addiction, and anger-write it down. Chart it-take it further. Let your feelings flow pen to paper and maybe, just maybe we can find some answers!

Tools for anger management are readily available, we can find groups and classes in person and in the virtual realm. In the mean time work on your relaxation techniques(use your anxiety breathing).  Don’t be dramatic(cognitive restructuring), it is not the end of the world if someone cuts you off or if you spill your coffee. You don’t need to throw things and swear, remind yourself it is not the end of the world! It is a minor annoyance and things could be much worse. Your basically working on reprogramming your thought pattern. Don’t jump to conclusions, communicate! Try to avoid being a pompous ass while communicating, it is not funny, people don’t like it. If you need to leave the situation (this might be more complicated for the agoraphobic) give yourself a change of scenery. Go for a walk, go sit at the beach, go to a movie, and if you can’t physically leave maybe just go sit in your back yard or take a bubble bath. Laughter-both giving and receiving!

This is not my forte, this is simply something I have been exploring. Perhaps we will come back and revisit this topic.  Again I need to point out I am not an expert. I am just me, a semi crazy chick trapped in a fish bowl. Actually today that doesn’t feel like me. I feel like my space is grown just a bit, maybe I have expanded to a fish trapped in a pond or a zoo exhibit. My world is getting a little bit bigger one day at a time.

"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." -Mark Twain

TRUTH!

 

Love and Light!

Agoraphobia Gurl

 

 "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one that gets burned." –Buddha

Too many good anger quotes, can’t just pick one! Please feel free to share your favorite if you are so compelled!

Reference:

Nauert, R.( 2012) Link Between Anger and Anxiety. Retrieved from: http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/12/05/link-between-anger-and-anxiety/48618.html