Anger is an emotion characterized by a state of aggression, rejection, and hatred towards something. Anger is a part of your primary emotions.
Emotion is a combination of energy and motion. Emotions are the result of the amalgamation of constant feelings and our responses to those feelings. These can be bad or good.
Good or positive emotions activate the brain's reward system and impart a feeling of security and safety. On the other hand, negative emotions, e.g., anger, prepare us for a potentially dangerous situation to employ our survival instincts.
Usually, emotions have a certain half-life, and after that, the person gets back to the normal state. But, some people may sustain a particular feeling for most of their time, which is abnormal. Once triggered, some people may stay angry throughout their days, affecting themselves and the people associated with them.
Anger management is an art, and there are many things available to help with it. Ashwagandha, saffron, and other herbs and supplements can help keep your anger calm.
Read on, and we'll discuss the anger, different ways for anger management, and herbal supplements anger management.
Primary Emotions
The very first response towards a situation is a Primary emotion. Anger is one of the most common primary emotions, along with fear, sadness, and happiness.
Primary emotions are easily noticeable due to the transient nature of them.
Secondary Emotions
These emotions are learned emotions. Feeling ashamed or proud are examples of secondary emotions. Secondary emotions can be connected to primary emotions too.
Trait Anger
This is a chronic condition in which a person displays aggressive behavior and experiences frequent anger. This anger response can be of mild irritability to intensive rage.
Trait anger is characterized by three factors, which include:
- Behavior (aggression)
- Cognition (cynicism)
- Anger-related effects
Why Do I Get Angry?
Anger has a biological explanation. Certain physical changes occur when you are angry, that may include:
- Increase in heartbeat
- Hyperactivity of skeletal and muscular systems
- Activation of the endocrine system
- Neurological system activation
Activity In The Brain
You express your anger in verbal and non-verbal expressions. This can be due to a threatening stimulus called provocation. Certain brain areas seem to get activated in cases of anger and aggression.
In a study, participants were made to play an anger-inducing game, i.e., the Inequality Game (IG). The neurological activities in the brain were noted while the subjects played the game.
Scientists have found that during aggressive phases (provocation phase of anger), the brain's dorsolateral prefrontalcortex area gets active. This area is responsible for the regulation of emotions.
Anger induction is also linked to the activation of different brain parts, including the thalamus, amygdala, and anterior insula.
Genetics And Environmental Factors
According to one study by Wang and colleagues, anger was related to genetic and environmental factors. It explained that environmental factors and life events influence anger tendencies.
What Can I Do About It?
Anger management is a tricky business. If you feel that your temper is a short-lasting game, you should look into controlling the beast in you. This is for your loved ones as words spoken in anger can act as swords.
Verbal expression of your aggression can lead to the breakage of relationships. People with Trait anger are often disgusted at the minimum of events.
To control your anger attacks, you can either adopt anger management therapies or take help from supplements designed for anger management.
Therapies For Anger Management
Anger management therapy aims to change your response to external factors that can cause anger. The treatment includes different exercises and steps to practice self-control. It should be kept in mind that you should control your anger and not suppress it.
Suppression will lead to further aggravation of the condition.
1. Breathing Exercises
You may have noticed that your heart rate shoots, and you start having a heavy breath when in anger. An effective way to calm the body down is by slowing down your breathing. Take deep breaths from your nose and exhale via your mouth. Adopt this technique whenever disgusted in any situation.
2. Tension Exercises
Progressive muscle relaxation or tension release exercises are of great help in managing anger. This involves alternating tensing and relaxing of the muscles of the body. It is suggested that you start from the top and bottom and let the anger pass out of your body.
3. Identify The Triggers
Certain chronic factors seem to trigger our aggressive response continually. You need to identify all such triggers and try to refrain from them.
4. Adopt Meditation
A study carried out on young male participants clarified that yoga and meditation exercises effectively reduce stress and anger. According to a meta-analysis, laughter therapy has a positive impact on treating anxiety and healing anger.
5. Avoid Making Decisions In Anger
Speaking out or making decisions in anger can be a regretful decision. This is because you might not be completely aware of what you speak, and the words blurted out in a fit of anger can not be taken back. Whenever faced with such conditions, try replying once the anger has subsided.
6. Try To Stay Healthy
Exercising regularly reduces the levels of stress in the body. Treadmill exercises help reduce stress in mice, a study suggests. You can do whatever activity you like. The only aim is to keep you active and stress at bay.
7. Get Help
There are anger management social groups that help you control your aggressive nature in groups. Group members encourage each other and, therefore, adapting to change easily.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an effective way of reducing stress and anxiety. By reducing anxiety, you can improve your mood and get rid of chronic anger.
8. Try To Be Forgiving
You should not hold onto grudges and let go of events that can pinch your heart for a long time. Be forgiving and a little insensitive to what people say. If these measures are not effective in healing anger, you should take help from calming agents.
Supplements For Anger
Anxiety is the root cause of an aggressive nature. Expecting too much from someone or not accepting the bitter truths brings an element of disgust to one’s character. Chronic pain can also make you irritable and aggressive.
To manage anger, we need to manage anxiety and stress. All the anger management therapies mentioned above are based on managing and controlling stress and anxiety.
In some cases, therapies do not provide full effects, and you have to switch to dietarysupplements for anger management. Some calming agents can change your life by bringing peace and tranquility to your personality and life.
As per an analysis, mood lability and explosive rage can be managed by administering vitamins and minerals. So, here are some essential and useful supplements that you can use to manage your anger:
1. Saffron
This herbal item is used as a spice and is named the Sunshine spice.This is because of the excellent capability of the herb tobrightenyour mood. It helps you fight anger, anxiety, and depression.
Mild to moderate depression can be cured with saffron usage, a study suggests. This can be used just like Imipramine and Citalopram in managing depression, but it has fewer side effects than the drugs. You can get the best natural saffron supplement by clicking here.
The Saffron extract fromBe Herbalcan help you improve concentration and alleviate anger. The product is free of caffeine and has shown to improve mood, reduce cravings, and aid weight loss.
2. Vitamin B Complex
The majority of calming agents aimed at managing anger attacks are composed of herbs and vitamins. The complex consists of Vitamin 1, 2, 3, till 12.
According to one study, taking adequate quantities of Vitamin B will mean improved mood, decreased stress, and higher energy levels in the body.
Another study found that people who take Vitamin B supplements experience lesser fatigue, anger, and distress.
Vitamin B supplementations reduce the amounts of homocysteine (amino acid) in the body. This amino acid is linked to an increased risk of dementia and stress.
3. Ashwagandha
It is a herb from ancient Indian medicine. It is continuously used in Ayurveda to treat different conditions. Its primary role identified is an aid in combating stress.
Ashwagandha boosts the body's resilience in facing both physical and mental stress, study suggests. A decrease in stress is directly linked to decreased aggression.
The extent of aggression is measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM). Ashwagandha’s anti-aggression properties were tested in a clinical trial where it showed promising results in reducing the HAM scores. The drug is well tolerated and doesn’t cause any evident side effects.
In another clinical study, chronic stress patients were given 600mg of ashwagandha for 2 months (60 days). The patients displayed improvements in stress symptoms and no side effects.
4. GABA agonists
Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a natural neurotransmitter that is present in the body. This neurotransmitter is responsible for calming down the body. It is an inhibitory neurotransmitter used in the treatment of epilepsy. GABA agonists are part of some supplements for anger.
5. Chamomile
Chamomile is a multi-function herb, but its most significant property is anti-anxiety. It is often consumed in the form of tea. A randomized trial found that long-term chamomile therapy is potent at decreasing symptoms of Generalized Anxiety disorder.
Another study determined the effects of short-term chamomile therapy for Generalized Anxiety disorder, and here again, the anxiolytic property of chamomile was appreciated.
In addition to its consumption in tea and supplements, you can apply chamomile oil and lavender oil to reduce anxiety and improve the quality of sleep, a study suggests.
6. Lemon Balm
This calming agent belongs to the mint family.Melissa officinalis has been used for therapeutic benefits for a long time. The herb is still used for promoting sleep and improving appetite.
Lemon Balm, when consumed, can ease out pain and discomfort. It reduces anxiety and stress, and that is why it is used for depression management too.
According to a study, Melissa officinalis reduces symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression when given as a supplement. Lemon balm, when given with valerian (herb), results in improved sleep.
7. Melatonin
You might remember melatonin as a sleep supplement. However, melatonin has a significant role in reducing stress and bringing about peace of mind.
Alzheimer’s patients suffer from brain degeneration and often show bouts of aggression. There are specific biomarkers to identify the level of aggression.
According to a study, melatonin effectively reduces aggression by ameliorating anxiety symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease patients.
8. L-theanine
It is an amino acid and is extracted from tea leaves. It is present in supplements for anger. To check the efficacy of L-theanine, a study was carried out. It showed that this extract effectively increases alertness and brings calmness to mind without inducing drowsiness.
Another study showed that the use of L-theanine supplement also decreased the symptoms of anger, i.e., reduced the heart rate in subjects while they performed stressful tasks. Several people consume L-theanine in tea, owing to its positive impacts on stress and heart.
9. Valerian
Valerian is a dietary supplement that can be given between 400-900mg before bed to improve sleep. Menopausal women often experience mood swings, depression that leads to anger.
According to a study, giving Valerian to menopause women can be an effective step in managing anxiety.
10. 5-HTP
5-Hydroxytryptophan is an amino acid that has some decent medical benefits. This is why it is a part of sleeping and anti-anxiety supplements.
5-HTP gets converted into serotonin in the body. Its conversion into the happy hormone results in an improvement in mood and simultaneous reduct of stress, as suggested by a study. It can help reduce your anger and make you sleep better.
11. Passionflower
Passionflower is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and it can also help in reducing anger.
Where To Find The Best Supplements?
If you want to find all the eggs in one basket, then check out Be Herbal. The Chill Pill from Be Herbal is a wholesome product that contains all the products necessary to calm you down and bring mental peace.
There are tons of more products that can benefit you. Testosterone boosters, Vitamin supplements, and sleeping aids are available all under one roof.
Conclusion
Anger management is a difficult thing to do. Breathing exercises can help you in relaxing and controlling your emotions. The best way, however, is to take help from supplements for anger. These supplements reduce anxiety and stress inside the body and improve mood.