The Benefits of Anger
Anger has built a bad reputation.
When compared to other emotions, such as happiness and amusement, anger is viewed as an emotion of low status—one that should be avoided. Many people fear anger because of the idea that outrage leads to aggression and barbarity, but anger can be beneficial when managed properly.
Anger is a primitive emotion. Although many people fear what can come out of anger, it is important to learn how to manage it and embrace the moments where it is brought to the forefront.
Anger helps us to survive. Our basic “fight” response stems from anger. Many people who fear anger as an emotion may chose to “flight” or freeze when confronted with a threatening situation. This is why it is important to embrace your anger and know when to fight back for your survival.
Anger motivates us. As anger can be rooted in the need to be in control, we tend to get angry when we feel like things are not going our way. Anger energizes us. When we’re angry, our body secretes hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. That adrenaline rush is what motivates us to find solutions to our problems.
Anger allows us optimism. As anger drives us towards our goals, nothing seems unobtainable. Through anger, we are in a better position to change the situation or right any injustices.
Anger makes us aware of injustice. When you feel yourself getting angry in a situation, it is important that we acknowledge where that anger is coming from. Often times it stems from the fact that you are being done unjustly. The acknowledgement of disrespect can be used to build harmony in relationships when the anger is used constructively. The strategic use of anger may look like: “I don’t like (insert issue). Let’s work together to find a solution that works for the both of us.” By addressing these difficult feelings, anger encourages us to look deeper within ourselves so that we may reach our highest selves. Once we are able to determine what makes us angry, we can avoid that trigger to the best of our ability or simply know how to work through the situation as it is something that we’ve been through already.
Largely, letting go of anger is alleviating. After managing anger, many people immediately feel a calmness. That is because whatever method they chose to resolve their issue allowed them to release the tension in their body and soothe their nerves.
In the face of its negative reputation, anger is primitive. It is their to protect us—whether from physical danger or emotional danger in relation to the ego, it is important that we learn how to coexist with it rather than ignore it.
If you struggle with extreme aggression or have trouble expressing your anger at all, talking to a mental health professional can help.
