Proverbs 16:32 (NLT)
Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self -control than to conquer a city.
Most of our emotions begin in the area of the brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for the perception of our emotions such as anger. It also stores information about previous incidents that have made us angry in the past and puts the body on high alert when it perceives the possibility of an incoming threat.
The amygdala is so quick at warning us about threats, that if it is left unchecked, it will cause us to react before that part of our brain that uses judgment can kick in and decide what a reasonable response to our triggered anger would be.
Anger opens us up to taking action before weighing what the consequences of those actions would be. While many people believe that unloading their rage on a well-deserved trigger makes the recipient bear the cost, the truth is the only person who pays the price of anger is the one who carries it.
Anger is adrenal induced; therefore your heart rate accelerates, your blood pressure rises, and your rate of breathing increases. You also become fixated on the target of your anger, which means you may miss important things that are happening around you, or have no memory of them at all.
While the trigger of our anger may resolve in a few minutes, the hormones that are released during our anger take several hours or even days to subside, thus, it takes your body some time to reset and return to its resting state. The physical state that anger creates in you is a breeding ground for heart attacks, strokes, and memory loss, and this is without including the cost it carries in your relationships.
Anger is not a primary emotion, it is a secondary response to a first feeling, so if you don’t know why you get so angry all the time, maybe it’s time to address some old wounds. Your life and your loved ones are worth it.
