Signs of Suppressed Anger

A person who suppresses anger shows signs of his repressed feelings in the following ways:

•	He has a tendency to joke about his problems excessively.  He exhibits excessive cheerfulness and a careless attitude towards all his issues.
•	He has a sarcastic sense of humor.
•	He will also delay and idle over his tasks.
•	He might experience nightmares and difficulty sleeping.
•	He may have facial tics, a habit of clenching his fists, flickering muscles and other such physical manifestations of nervous conditions.
•	He grinds his teeth at night.
•	He always complains of a sore neck.
•	He feels depressed constantly.
•	He complains of stomach ulcers.

Effects of Suppressing Anger

People who are either naturally inclined not to exhibit anger or have been conditioned to do so might be doing more harm to their health than they think. While full blown angry outbursts are not desirable, and are certainly harmful in the long run, letting off steam every now and then is a logical emotional reaction that should be encouraged.

Here are some ways you van channel your anger in a constructive way without throwing a tantrum or making a violent outburst.

•	Focus your energies on what you are really angered about. The situation that caused the anger might not have happened yesterday or in the recent past, but might have occurred long before that.  Are you sure you’re angry, or it just irritability or fatigue you feel? Remember, tiredness can cause a number of emotional states – anxiety and yes, anger – that are more the result of the physical state than any external cause. Rationalize the cause of your anger, and you’ll find it easier to control yourself.
•	If you’ve been able to pinpoint the causes of your anger, now decide how you are going to handle these.  Blowing up and creating a scene is not healthy for anyone, least of all yourself.  See if it’s possible for you to talk rationally with the person and diffuse the situation.
•	The old “count 1 to 10 when angry” formula is as solid as ever!  Go for a long walk, maybe hit the gym for a brisk workout so you can work off all your pent up fury.  Read a calming book, watch a funny movie, listen to soothing music - anything that makes it easy for you to look at the situation through new eyes can work for you.
•	If you feel you absolutely must confront the person who’s causing the anger, talk to friends or family first, and take their opinion about it. If your anger is misplaced and you’re over reacting, these are the people who will be able to tell you before you go barging in making a scene.
•	If you still want to confront the other person, remember respect is key. Speak respectfully, and voice your concerns.  Who knows, you may even be able to see things from his perspective which means you won’t have a reason to feel angry anymore. At the very least, you will be able to get things off your chest in a human rational manner, and will feel better for doing so.
•	If you’re not able to confront the other person for whatever reason, try other methods to work off your anger.  Any kind of physical activity can help you work off your fury. It could be as minor as a bike ride or a jog on the beach. The physically strenuous activity will ensure that you are too spent to spare any energy on anger. Anger produces energy in the body, and using this energy in strenuous physical activity will help reduce the intensity of the energy and dissipate anger.
•	Don’t try to ignore the cause of your anger, and hope that the feeling will pass. Suppressing emotions only means that these bottled up feelings will explode at a later date in a completely undesirable situation, and in all probability in front of people who are not the cause of your anger in the first place.  Rational and systematic analyses of the causes of your anger, and determining the best method for you to deal with it is the most sensible course of action.