Rage: How to Recognize It,
Understand It, and Overcome It by www.Sedona.com Everyone gets angry. It’s completely normal, understandable and, quite frankly, probably unavoidable. Not everyone, however, experiences the heightened level of anger that comes with feeling rage. Where anger is upsetting, rage is tormenting. And while anger is something you can handle, rage can feel all-consuming and uncontrollable. Rage and Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) Last year, researchers revealed a little-known mental illness known as intermittent explosive disorder (IED). By definition, IED involves outbursts that are unwarranted for the situation, and that can include threats, attacks on others, throwing and breaking things, and even spousal abuse. As many as 16 million Americans may be affected by IED, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. To be diagnosed, you must have had three episodes of “impulsive aggressiveness grossly out of proportion to any precipitating psychosocial stressor," according to a psychiatric diagnostic manual. During the episode, the person must have "all of a sudden lost control and broke or smashed something worth more than a few dollars…hit or tried to hurt someone…or threatened to hit or hurt someone." Of course, not everyone who experiences rage or has had an angry outburst has IED. Both scenarios, however, can have a huge impact on your mental health and well-being, as well as that of your family and friends. Rage Hurts Your Health The initial feelings that come with rage, during which your aggression and anger are on at full-force, are very damaging to your body. "When you are angry, you are pouring stress hormones into your blood system, which are harmful to your heart and other functioning of the body," said Leon James, a professor of traffic psychology at the University of Hawaii, referring to road rage. "So if we experience this kind of anger or impatience in driving every day, all our lives, you can see that over the years it's going to have a very strong negative health effect on the driver." The same, of course, holds true for rage that occurs for any reason, whether a problem at work, a relationship spat or just having a bad day. And aside from the physical damage, anger and rage have also been linked to emotional pain that, if left unchecked, can lead to depression, substance abuse and other problems. Rage Hurts Your Relationships (and What to do if You’re Close to Someone With Rage) Rage can also easily sabotage even the most devoted couples. To a partner, an uncontrollable outburst aimed in their direction is unfair at best, and terrifying at worst. Rather than addressing a problem, rage drives a wedge between a couple, blocks communication and can instill feelings of doubt, anxiety and sadness in both people. If you are close to someone who experiences rage, you must first ensure your own safety (i.e. never stay with someone who gets physically violent). In the case of an angry outburst, you can also protect yourself by trying to remain calm. Anger, after all, is a deep form of pain, so trying to feel empathy for an angry person may help. By addressing the person in a gentle way (both in your tone of voice and in the substance of your words) you will likely help to calm him or her down. Meanwhile, do not fall into the pattern of accepting blame. Remember that it is not your fault the person feels this rage, and the best you can do is try to support them when they are feeling this way. Ultimately, however, it’s up to each individual with rage to try to overcome it within him or herself. How to Overcome Rage Rage can take the form not only of violent outbursts but also of silent simmering, where general feelings of annoyance or anxiety always seem to be present -- and ready to boil over. You may have felt this way since you were a child, and not even realize that you don’t have to hold on to anger anymore. So the first step in truly overcoming rage is acknowledging it in yourself, and making the decision to let it go. Rage, no matter how consuming the experience may be, is just a feeling. Oftentimes we let feelings control our thoughts, our behaviors and our very lives, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Feelings you have are just feelings. They are not you and they are not facts. You can let these feelings go just as easily as you can let an object you are holding drop to the ground. How? By learning to release negative emotions, like rage, anger and depression, so that you are free to experience the life you want. The Sedona Method is a powerful and complete system that you can use to rid yourself of this inner cause of unwanted anger. The Method consists of a series of simple questions that you ask yourself anytime you feel rage coming on. You don’t have to hold on to those angry feelings anymore! Choose to release them – and join the tens of thousands of people who have already gained happiness and success through The Sedona Method. (you can watch and read a variety of Sedona Method success stories here!) Sources Boston.com
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3583863.stm Psychology Today
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20031119-000001.html
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