Have you ever had one of those weeks where every step you take, something or someone is making you angry? I was having one of those weeks until I heard a quote on a daytime talk show taken from St. Augustine: “Resentment and anger is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die”. First, this wisdom immediately deflated my anger and then it led me to question the point of anger in the first place.

Anger has been with us since the beginning of mankind. The emotion of anger has intrinsically been an impetus for change. It may cause discomfort, however when dealt with constructively, it moves us to act and improve the circumstance causing the discomfort. When dealt with destructively, anger can cause violence, self-loathing and depression.

As a physician, I see the physical effects of this on a daily basis. Depression, heart disease, and obesity (that can cause diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers) can often result from prolonged anger, resentment and hostility. Many patients I see heal and improve when we address the underlying anger and resentment in their lives.

With all that is going on in the world right now, it seems there is anger at every turn. The media is busy reporting various feuds; politicians are angry with one another, and the opposing parties. Staffers are walking out en mass in protest of their candidate. Doctors are angry with insurance companies, and patients are angry because they are not getting what they want from their doctors.

I think if we all stopped for a moment when we become angry and truly thought about what was going on internally, we could make great changes in ourselves and in the world. If we find that anger is consuming us, it is time to get help before it destroys us.

“The best work of the world is done in the tension between anger and control.” ~ G. Stanley Hall