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Available for over a year

There isn't a day that goes by where irrational and extreme acts of anger are not in the news. Such as the tragic death of the young lady who died as a result of a dispute with her neighbour over a ball. Hearing about events like this, however extreme, can serve to remind us of times in our day where we might express our anger in a way that is out of proportion with the trigger. Flying off the handle for things like crumbs on the carpet or having to wait in a queue longer than expected are familiar scenarios for many. I'm personally no stranger to mumbling under my breath at the driver in front of me who decides to stop for EVERYONE the morning I'm most short on time! Anger can manifest in different ways, the most obvious being when we externalise and express it. Less obvious is when we internalise it, hold onto it and then quietly, with hostility allow it to seep into our interactions. However it manifests, anger ignites our physiological stress response and in my work as a psychiatrist I see many patients who suffer with mental and physical illnesses exacerbated by unresolved anger. Anger feels powerful and intense and we're often advised not to make any decisions when angry. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna includes Anger as one of the six enemies of the mind and describes it as an emotion that manifests when our desires are not met or when their fulfilment is threatened. From that frustration or fear, anger arises and then leads to bewilderment which disables our mind's ability to find the clearest way forward and connect with our inner wisdom. I find we often don't stop long enough to think about what it is that we actually want from a situation and get so consumed by the emotion of anger we end up making assumptions and misplacing blame. There is no point in me getting annoyed at the driver in front of me, I just want to do the school run on time and if I had left earlier I am sure I would see their act of letting everyone in as kindness rather than a cause for my delay. Anger might feel at the time like a visceral reaction, but I really think that if we can learn how to deal with it better, anger becomes more of a choice. We make the choice to be angry based on our perception of a situation. It is something we create by holding it, feeding it and allowing it to develop and grow the more we give in to it. Soon some reactions become so habitual that they become part of our character. I think if we want to improve the quality of our lives and move away from the damaging effects of anger we need to be more honest with ourselves in identifying where and when we let it get the better of us.