|
|
Overcoming
anger and achieving mental and physical health Yahya Abdul Rahman - Sept 9, 2008 In
the course of our daily lives we experience a host of disappointments and
annoyances. We plan a picnic and then it rains. We eat dinner at a restaurant
and we receive mediocre service and the food is of sub-standard quality.
Someone looks at or addresses us in a certain way and we interpret their action
as an insult or rudeness. We cannot find a parking space at the mall and we are
in a rush. Our boss places more demands on us but demonstrates little or no
appreciation for our work. The list goes on and on of the daily aggravations
that are part and parcel of everyday living. No
matter how spiritual or meditative we strive to be, these aggravations will occur on a regular basis
and it is crucial to see them as average situations and not exceptions which
only happen to you alone. The question is how do we deal with them? Many people
possess the proclivity to work themselves up into a outburst of temper and become
all flustered. For some people, over time, these continual outbursts can have
drastic consequences. Not only can these angry outbursts have an impact on how we deal with others or
how we are perceived by them, ie loss of
friends and respect, they can also affect our physical health and mental
well-being. A host of disturbances - way too numerous to list here- can manifest themselves in the body and even
lead to complete physical and mental disability. If you Google "Health and
Anger" on the internet you fill find a host of articles related to how
anger impacts upon human health as the link between the two is well documented
and is not considered a controversial issue. A lot of research actually
suggests that how we react to other people and the minor and major irritants of
daily living can influence our risk of dying from cancer and heart disease. For
the purposes of this article, there are two forms of temper which include
"angry temper" and "fearful temper." We exhibit angry
temper when we place the blame on someone else for something they said, did, or
did not do. Underlying this form of temper is the belief that "I am right
and they are wrong." Fearful
temper, on the other hand, which is a bit more subtle, is when one judges
themselves to be wrong for something they said or thought; they did or did not
do; thinking they are not up to par with the rest of humanity. Associated with
this is the feeling of low self-worth and self-pity. "Poor little me, why
does that have to happen to me," is the cry of the one with fearful
temper. As I
stated earlier, for many people, giving into this temper can cause a host of
emotional and physical problems, including acute anxiety. If one wishes to
reverse the symptoms associated with temper one must make real changes in their
lives or they will become even more ill to the point of disability. I
recommend a few resources to deal with this problem. The first resource are two
books by the late Abraham Low, MD called
"Mental Health Through Will-Training:
A System of Self-Help in Psychotherapy
as Practiced by Recovery, Incorporated" and "Manage Your Fears
Manage Your Anger: A Psychiatrist Speaks." In these two books, especially
the first one, Dr. Low demonstrates how
anger is our worst enemy and how, via the act of the will, one can consciously
curtail these episodes of angry and fearful temper and lead ourselves back on
the road to mental and physical well-being. The books can be ordered online at:
www.recovery-inc.com
<http://www.recovery-inc.com/>
. I
also recommend "Peace of Body, Peace of Mind," by Rose VanSickle. In
this book VanSickle outlines, in a warm and conversational manner, how she
successfully applied Dr. Low's teachings to her life in order overcome her
anxiety and a host of distressing physical symptoms which almost totally
destroyed her life. That book can be ordered at: http://www.pljunlimited.com <http://www.pljunlimited.com/> . She
is also a beautiful person to speak with. The
second resource is an excellent Any
efforts one takes to improve their mental and physical health and reduce stress
and temperamental outbursts in their life is well worth it, and these resources
will assist in achieving this worthy goal. Yahya
Abdul Rahman can be reached online at: montrealnews@gmail.com |
