Fight, flight, or flip a table
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You’re heart’s pounding.
Your muscles are tense.
Your face feels like it’s on fire.
Verywell Mind / Getty
In other words, you’re angry!
Simultaneously, the part of your brain responsible for rational thinkingthe prefrontal cortexbecomes less active.
Basically, your body’s built-in alarm system comes online when you’re angry.
Knowinghow to deal with your angeris key.
And lucky for you, you could learn how to manage your emotions with these therapist-approved tips down below.
The answer lies in your brains built-in alarm system.
It’s the good oldfight-or-flight responseat work.
Anger is a very old and fundamental emotion, says psychiatristAlex Dimitriu, MD.
This can lead to irrational or regrettable behavior, intense outbursts, or violence at its worst.
It has a tendency to overreact to things that are actually completely harmless.
Your heart rate picks up, and you start to breathe faster and more shallowly.
The prefrontal cortex is an area of the brain right behind your forehead.
It’s responsible for things like judgment, reasoning, andself-regulation.
The prefrontal cortex is among the most recent evolutionary additions to our brains, Dr. Dimitriu explains.
It helps you evaluate situations, control your behavior, and manage your feelings.
The prefrontal cortex allows us to think and plan before acting.
When you get angry, the amygdala and prefrontal cortex are in conflict.
The problem is that the amygdala has a bit of a head start.
Brain Chemicals
It isn’t just certain structures in the brain that influence how you experience anger.
Yourbrain’s neurochemicalshelp fire things up and determine how you feel and respond.
That’s why it can be so hard to focus on anything other than your anger.
Recognizing that fact can help you understand why anger sometimes gets the best of us.
These include:
When things get heated during an argument, it’s not just a metaphor.
Your body literally gets hotter and more tense.
And that’s just what’s going on inside.
Your body doesn’t distinguish; it just reacts.
Anger also tends to snowball.
Evidence suggests that many people who experience symptoms of mental health conditions also report having problems managing their anger.
Anxiety
Anger and fear are both linked to the amygdala.
Sometimes dubbed borderline rage, it can lead to explosive, uncontrolled episodes of inappropriate anger.
PTSD
Bipolar Disorder
Anger is also a common symptom ofmanic and hypomanic episodesofbipolar disorder.
During these mood episodes, people often experience increased irritability and aggression.
Long-Term Effects of Anger on the Brain
Occasional anger isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
We all experience anger; it’s a useful emotion.
Anger helps identify boundaries and teaches you to advocate for unmet needs.
It motivates change and drives the effort necessary to make those changes happen.
The problem is when anger becomes excessive, prolonged, and difficult to control.
Essentially, anger can beget more anger.
Repeated episodes of anger may certainly fortify the pathways that lead to more anger, Dr. Dimitriu says.
Your brain’s amygdala (aka the fear and anger center) can also become more reactive.
It often co-occurs with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance abuse diagnoses.
Additionally, it has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular and other health-related issues.
Ever notice how it’s harder to recall things that happened during an outburst of anger?
Or have you ever made a poor, impulsive choice in the heat of the moment?
Anger Hurts Your Health
It’s not just your brain that suffers.
It can also have lingering effects on your body.
It can affect your ability to perform well at work.
You may even start towithdraw from social situationsbecause they seem threatening or trigger feelings of irritability and anger.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way.
Some people may find these tactics underwhelming.
Strategies that can help include:
Prevention
Don’t let anger catch you off guard.
Recognizingearly warning signs of angerhelps prevent escalation, Dr. Kass says.
Anger is a surface emotion, masking deeper feelings like fear, disappointment, ordenial.
Identifying the underlying emotion can help.
For example: I feel scared, I feel disappointed, or I feel something is unjust.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Dr. Kass also notes that anger often stems from unmet needs.
In these cases, give yourself a time-out.
Communicate your need for a break and remove yourself from the situation.
Do what you oughta do to relax and give yourself time to calm down.
Some strategies that can help include:
Start an anger diary to track triggers and coping strategies.
A helpful question to ask when angry is: What am I going to do about it?
It’s like building a muscle.
Working on that strength means you’ll have it when you really need it.
Takeaways
Anger doesn’t have to be your enemy.
But you’ll also be able to see that your anger isn’t always appropriate given the specific situation.
Knowing this can help you recognize your stress triggers and manage your response effectively.
Star with something small.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
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American Psychological Association.Understanding anger: How psychologists help with anger problems.
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doi:10.7759/cureus.33475
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