Managing Anger Through Exercise
What is Anger?
Anger is a natural feeling, but it can be unwanted or irrational at times. Anger can be a secondary emotion to sadness, fear, perceived threats, or loneliness. While anger can alter your state of mind, it can also trigger physical changes like increased heart rate, blood pressure, levels of adrenaline or other ‘fight or flight’ hormones.
Solutions to Anger
Luckily, anger doesn’t have to last forever. There are a lot of techniques to calm yourself down from an angry state of mind, such as leaving the situation, visualizing yourself being calm, slowing down and focusing on your breathing, or splashing some cold water (or some ice) on your hands, neck, and face. Challenging your thoughts can help empower yourself to channel your anger to have inspiring workouts and can be a great way to relieve that tension. There are many styles of exercise that can help relieve some anger, and not all of them involve pumping iron.
Angers Effects on the Body
Being angry for long periods of time can have some serious health effects, such as:
- High blood pressure
- Stoke
- Cardiac arrest
- Sleep problems
- Digestion problems
- Pain or aches in the head or back
- Depression
- Alcoholism
- Substance abuse
- Self-harm
- Reduced self-confidence or self esteem
This is why it is important to find a balanced plan to navigate your anger and even use it to your benefit. Please note, if you are experiencing such extreme anger that your heart rate or blood pressure is dangerously high, you may want to focus on the emotional aspects of your anger and talking through it, and not physical exercise. There is some evidence showing that vigorous exercise during a period of extreme anger can be harmful to your health. Plan to exercise before or after a period of anger.
Go for a Rage Run
Running is cheaper than therapy, and it can be done indoors on the treadmill or outside in nature. Going for a run, or even the rhythm of rowing can help release endorphins, the neurotransmitters that make you feel good and can help cause the ‘runner’s high’. Prolonged running can change the expression of around 36 genes in the brain associated with mood. Some even say running has a prophylactic effect on anger. The main idea to consider when it comes to running and your anger, is to start your run before you “flip your lid” (not after). If you know that a certain situation will cause you anger, its ideal to start your run before you enter that situation. Doing so maximizes the prophylactic effects of your run.
Boxing
Boxing allows you to relieve tension by physically hitting a punching bag, and the best part is that nobody gets hurt. Boxing can increase your strength and muscle stature, but also has been used for decades as a type of anger management. You can be in the present, and shut out the outside world for a while, because boxing requires you to focus on the task at hand. When boxing, your brain increases the production of endorphins, and you may experience some relief in your muscle tension (which may be caused by stress). Boxing at a gym allows you to have greater accountability to not bail on the session and may motivate you to incorporate this stress relieving exercise at regular intervals, which can help regulate your mood overall. In some cases, boxing could lead to aggression (especially when coupled with synthetic testosterone), which is why it is important to remain self-aware if boxing is helping or hurting your progress.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi can serve as a meditative martial art. Tai Chi is not a competitive martial art but is a more self-paced gentle exercise (and stretching). Progressing in Tai Chi requires you to develop a calm and steady mind. You will experience a deeper connection between body and mind. Some even say that you can’t practice Tai Chi and be an angry person.
Take a Hike
Another free activity! Spending time outdoors can reduce stress, calm anxiety, and lower risk of depression. While going at a slow pace may help you work through your thoughts, walking or hiking at a brisk pace or on rough terrain requires more focus, provides a great cardiovascular workout, and can help release those endorphins.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, exercise combined with mindfulness can help reduce or calm your anger. Most of these exercises are intended to be done while not in an extreme anger episode, but should be done before or after, or even better: regularly. Remember, working out while in an agitated state can lead to serious health issues like cardiac arrest, or even make your anger worse depending on the type of exercise you perform. Exercise like heavy weightlifting or powerlifting while in an agitated state has not been proven to yield any substantial benefits but can pose a risk to your health. That is why you should incorporate some type of stress-relieving exercise regularly to help regulate your moods.
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