Anger is the flame that sheds light on the boundary between yes and no. It is not a flaw; it is not a “negative emotion”. It is a messenger which tells us that something needs protection, a boundary needs placing or that justice needs to be defended.
Ancient Vedic texts, along with those of Ayurveda and Yoga, describe anger as a cause of disease and mental disturbance. This has often been taken too literally, misinterpreted as a directive to avoid feeling anger altogether. But the deeper teaching, I believe, is not to repress or disconnect from anger, nor to stifle it until it festers in the psyche and body. Anger itself isn’t the problem; it’s our disconnection from it, or our disproportionate reaction to it, that causes harm.
What is anger, really?
Anger has a bad reputation but what is it really? Anger is a natural, intelligent response to boundary violation, injustice, or unmet needs. For example, when my husband repeatedly interrupts me when I’m speaking, a spark of irritation may arise. This spark of anger is saying, “This isn’t right, I deserve to be heard”. When my child came home from school once having experienced bullying, I felt a surge of protective anger. This anger is saying “This should not be happening, my child needs protection”.
Anger is not the problem, it’s what we do with it
When anger arises, we tend to do one of two things (often unconsciously): repress it or dramatise it.
Repression, denial: the sealed pressure cooker
In many cultures, including here in the UK with the stiff upper lip attitude, expression of anger is frowned upon. If we express anger as children, we are often reprimanded, ignored, punished or told to be ‘good’. While girls often receive this message more explicitly, the culture as a whole tends to discourage emotional expression.
For those of us who grew up in spiritual or religious families, this can be a strong message. We must be calm, forgiving, rational and considered at all times and not express any ‘irrational’ emotions. I was brought up surrounded by the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, which brought so many gifts but also the burden of rejecting emotions. “Rise above it”, “Don’t feel that”, “Your nature is divine, you don’t need to feel these things”; spiritualise it away. So for many years, on being interrupted when speaking, I’d stuff down the anger, pretend it didn’t exist. If I ignore it, it will go away, was my thinking.
Effectively, functional anger (noticing and processing the natural arising of anger) is put in shadow, repressed and denied. “I don’t do anger”. This builds the pressure in the sealed pressure cooker which leads to angry outbursts happening whether you want to or not, at times which may surprise you. The anger being in shadow, now has control of you rather than you being in control of it.
Reactive dramatisation: the unattended bonfire
Another pattern is reacting to every spark of anger without pause. This reactive dramatisation is not the raw signal of anger itself, but a reactive pattern that can obscure its true message. This may show up as outsized reactions to small triggers, because the message taken on carries something much older and weightier. For example, when someone criticises me, even very gently, it can feel like another cut in a thousand cuts of being regularly criticised as a child and the reaction far outweighs the current trigger. There can be a prominent sense of “It’s their fault”, where the finger is always pointed out.
In many cases, dramatised anger acts as a shield, deflecting attention from more vulnerable emotions like fear or grief. Boys are often given the message that they shouldn’t cry and must be strong, so these emotions get transmuted to anger. Think of this as cross-wiring.
This can also be a cultural behaviour, where fiery expression is rewarded. This can be just as unhealthy for us as the repression cultivated by other cultures.
In this way, anger becomes a habit, a repetitive behaviour, a fire that feeds on itself to grow and grow. You have lost control of the unattended bonfire.
What is the cost of these anger habits?
Both of these reactions to anger leave you without control of the anger and it starts to take its toll on the body.
The sealed pressure cooker without release can eventually explode or can corrode the pot from within. This is the cost of “I don’t do anger.” It doesn’t disappear. It goes underground, deep into the mind and body.
The unattended bonfire burns hot, fast and wide, scorching everything nearby. Small gusts (a comment, a look) sends it roaring but when the smoke clears, the real issue is still untouched.
Body symptoms when anger is not healthily processed
Anger held or rampaging in the body increases pitta (hot and intense)[1] and has a damaging effect on the blood tissue[2]. The Ayurvedic classics refer to diseases that are specifically born of anger[3] such as bleeding disorders[4] and blood/liver disorders such as anaemia, jaundice, hepatitis[5], loss of ojas (vitality, immunity)[6], gout[7], loss of appetite[8], excessive thirst[9] and some types of fever[10]
Increased pitta[11] (whether from unprocessed anger or from other causes[12]) and contaminated blood[13] can also create symptoms such as skin diseases including leprosy, herpes, pimples, ring worm, dermatitis, vitiligo, urticaria (hives), ulcers, abscesses, burning sensations, hyperacidity, loose bowel movements, abdominal growths, migraines, insomnia, fainting and an inflamed anus, penis or mouth.
All in all, not processing our anger can have far reaching effects on the body. Do you suffer from any of these?
What do we do about anger then?
To avoid the reactive rage and bodily symptoms that come from supressing or overdramatising our anger, we can make sure we are working with our anger, making it functional anger. Anger is a messenger, what is it telling you?
When my son experienced the bullying incident, I felt the flame of anger. A suppressing response could have been to swallow the anger down, tell myself there was nothing to see here and that things would work themselves out. A reactive response could have been to go on the attack to the bully and his parents, with an unconscious intent to cause harm as harm had been caused. Luckily, this time, I sat with the anger, felt it’s power and used it to be very clear about what I wanted to happen now in response to the bullying. Having felt the heat of the flame, I had the energy to get over the reluctance to talk to those I needed to talk to and make a clear message and request.
In the moment
- When you feel anger, pause and name it. Welcome it. “I feel heat rising. Something feels off. I’m angry”. Check in with your body: “Where do I feel heat or pressure in my body?”
- Ask yourself questions to see what the message is: “What boundary is being crossed?” “What truth wants to be spoken?”
- Reflect on “What vulnerability is this touching in me?”, “What can I own here versus what is actually unjust?”
- Taking all this into consideration, the anger is named and clean and ready to be expressed with intention. Speak the truth without the theatrics. I think there is something about my grandmother’s “count to 10” advice after all!
Deeper work
If you “don’t do anger”, reflect on: “Do I have a pattern of not expressing anger?” “Where have I learned this?” “What’s the risk for me to express clean, healthy anger?” “What am I really angry about, deep down?”
If you’re “always angry”, reflect on: “What vulnerability is my anger protecting?” “Could my anger actually be sadness or fear?” “What am I really angry about, deep down?”
When you’re away from the anger trigger, in a safe space, try using your voice and your body to really express the anger. Follow the thread of it, where does it lead? Is there something your body wants to do to express the extent of anger? I’ve been known to do this pounding on the sofa and found that when I thought I was angry at one of my children not listening to me, deeper down I was just angry at feeling like for my whole life I wasn’t allowed to be me, to be seen and heard as just me, no-one else, not an idealised version of who I could be.
This can be hard by yourself. Consider doing some Shadow Work to help unpick and express these deeper feelings. Shadow Work is where we can safely do on purpose what we often do my mistake. It’s like a laboratory for trying out new things. In this case, it would be safely and clearly expressing anger at some deep injustices.
Ayurvedic tools for cooling the effects on anger on the body
As well as the emotional work, we can cool the fires of anger in the body with familiar Ayurvedic tools. These can support us as we journey into the deeper realms.
- Cooling foods: coconut, green leafy vegetables, juicy fruits and vegetables (e.g. cucumber), coriander
- Lifestyle: Shitali pranayama, moon bathing, spending time by water
- Herbs: brahmi, guduchi, shatavari, amalaki, rose
Anger is our ally
Where we may have feared or indulged our anger, we can find ways to befriend it and listen to what it’s telling us. We can view it as a compass pointing towards integrity, clarify and transformation. We can stop banishing it to the basement or letting it run amok and find it is our ally.
If you feel you need some help cooling the effects of anger in the body or help with exploring more about your patterns around anger, do book in a free enquiry call.
[1] Sushruta Samhita Sutra Sthana 20/21
[2] Sushruta Samhita Uttara Sthana 45/3-4
[3] Krodha Janya Vyadhi
[4] E,g, bleeding from the mouth, nose, anus, urethra, vagina: Sushruta Samhita Uttara Sthana 45/3-4
[5] Charaka Samhita Chikitsa Sthana 16/7
[6] Astanga Hrdayam Sutra Sthana 11/39-40
[7] Madhava Nidanam 23/1-4
[8] Charaka Samhita Chikitsa Sthana 26/124
[9] Charaka Samhita Chikitsa Sthana 22/4
[10] Charaka Samhita Chikitsa Sthana 3/114-128
[11] Charaka Samhita Sutra Sthana 12/8 (V), 20/9-11 (V); Sushruta Samhita Sutra Sthana 21/18, 21/27, 21/32, 35/24-25; Astanga Hrdaya Sutra Sthana 11/5-16, 12/49-53; Astanga Samgraha Sutra Sthana 19/16-24; Madhava Nidanam Amlapitta; Bhava Prakasha 1 3/111
[12] Excess sour, salty and pungent food, excess exposure to heat, alcohol, excessive fermented foods and fasting.
[13] Charaka Samhita Sutra Sthana 28/11-12
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