Stress relief from Depression: Rage Turned Inward
October 28th, 2007 · Filed Under: Anger Management · Home Page · Meditation · Stress Relief Strategies · Stress Relief and Depression · Stress Relief and Hypertension · Workplace Stress · stress Management · stress relief tips and tools
Chances are, if you’re depressed you’re also angry. Even enraged. Maybe you’re angry at a distance spouse, an unreasonable boss or just the world in general. When anger has no place to go, i.e. you can’t vent at your boss (if you want to keep your job), it turns inward and, as it accumulates, it becomes depression.
Is it easier to deal with rage than depression?
It’s much easier to deal with anger than it is with depression. By the time you reach a state of depression, damage to your psychic well-being has already been done. Anger can be resolved quickly, without psycho-therapy, potentially addictive medications
(many Prozac users call themselves ‘lifers’) and a lot of money down the drain. The key is to recognize the anger, what sets it off and how to release it - let it go so that it doesn’t turn toxic and cloud your whole day - or your whole life.
Where can you find help for Anger Management?
There are tons of books on the subject. Lots of seminars, court-ordered classes and people caught in jobs or family situations that are just one sarcastic comment away from going ballistic - and perhaps hurting others.
The kids who are shooting their classmates are angry - angry at the bullying and the social isolation, angry that their lives aren’t like the lives of kids they see on the TV. They feel cheated and lied to, which leads to anger that doesn’t have an outlet. So, these
kids and their depressed friends and family members continue to suppress anger until it becomes a full-blown, sometimes-debilitating condition.
But it’s not just kids who are going ballistic. Check out these numbers to see if you, or a family member or friend, fit into one of these categories:
18.8 million Americans are affected by bipolar disorder (unexplained emotional highs and lows), dysthymic disorder (inappropriate reactions to routine, daily activities like getting stuck in a traffic jam) and depression (loss of focus, desire, libido, energy - the individual becomes a dried up husk of a human being leading a joyless life). Sound like you? If so, you’re not alone.
Get this: the largest population segment using psychotropic medications are pre-schoolers! That should send a shiver down your spine.
More than half of survey respondents believe that depression is simply a personal weakness. (You’ll snap out of it).
15% of depressed individuals will commit suicide - the final act of desperation and an avoidable, treatable condition.
Depression limits your ability to make even simple functional decisions - like what to have for dinner. It’s no way to live.
Can you learn to live with Anger?
The person who cuts you off on the way to work gets you angry. But he’s gone and in a few minutes the incident will be forgotten. Routinely, anger dissipates over time for most people.
However, those with a “short fuse’ create problems for themselves and those around them. Usually, these quick-to-anger individuals have family problems, they have difficulty keeping a job and building a career and, in many cases, they don’t have any social network
- support for coping with anger.
Would you like 10 anger Management Tips?
1. Recognize the triggers that set you off and avoid them whenever possible. If your mother-in-law angers you, avoid her (except at holidays and special occasions). You don’t have a responsibility to like everyone and everyone won’t like you.
2. Create a dialog with the individual that is causing anger. It should be a discussion to come to terms, not a shouting match in the office hallway.
3. Find a recreational outlet. Physical activity is always a good way to let anger flow from the body but any hobby that takes your mind off the anger is helpful in combating the more serious problem of depression.
4. Build a support network. There is any number of clubs and associations that will welcome you just as you are.
5. Do good works. Help a stranger. Help a friend. Provide comfort to a relative. Doing good counteracts the effects of the anger collected that day. It just makes you feel good.
6. Don’t self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. These mask the problem but don’t solve it. You want to develop a clear view of your situation and mind-altering substances are simply counter-productive.
7. Join an anger management group. If you’re unable to control your anger in routine situations, there are free anger management classes in many communities. You don’t have to go off the deep end before seeking treatment. In fact, going proactive is a
positive step in the right direction. You’ll feel better just taking that step.
8. Meditate, or just sit quietly for 20 minutes a day. Take the phone off the hook, close the door, get into a comfortable position, close your eyes and drift away. Do NOT fume about the things that are making you angry.
9. Eat a healthy diet. If you’re living on chips and beer, no wonder you’re depressed. Eat better, feel better.
10. Find something in which to believe. It doesn’t have to be a religion. It can be a community group or a personal growth project. Discover something you can really put your heart in to.
Final Thoughts
Finally, contact a professional in anger management. A few sessions on clearing negative thoughts and building in “me” time each day will do wonders for the anger you feel. And as the anger slowly ebbs, the depression and the associated symptoms will decrease as well.
So, if you’re depressed chronically, just remember, there are many things you can do to address the underlying anger that’s the cause of your depression.
Depression is rage turned inward. Who or what are you angry with? That’s a good starting point for a happier, more productive life.
Lastly,learn to let it go. Anger is corrosive, eating away at your happiness. Learning to find healthy release valves for your anger will make life better for you and those important people in your life.
** ‘If you’ve enjoyed this article, please be sure to forward it to a friend.” **
Cecil McIntosh, The EYC™ Stress Relaxation Expert with 14 years of experience helping Entrepreneurs like you, stay focused, get more done and find more time, so that you can live in the moment. He is a published author of many audio
Relaxation Programs using accelerated learning approaches and a Teacher, NLP Trainer and life Coach. You can reach Cecil at cecil.mcintosh@gmail.com
Want to learn how to focus and deal with rage and depression? Or ** IS YOUR LIFE TOO BUSY … TOO MUCH STRESS? ** Do you want to find more time to enjoy stress relief? - Split Second Stress Relief
