By Georgianna Donadio, PhD – Feelings — especially when we’re hurt or angry — can have negative effects on the physical body through neurological and neurochemical connections between mind and body. If a person experiences internalized anger, his nervous and hormone systems react, creating neurotransmitter chemicals that can result in harmful side effects that lead to compromised health, as well as compromised personal and professional relationships.

Repressed Or Unexpressed

Anger felt over a period of time is unhealthy. When we become angry and do not express it in a productive manner, the body reacts though the stress-adaptation response, resulting in biochemical physical responses that can lead to illness or death. Conditions linked to habitual anger include:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Increased heart rate
• Tense muscles
• Heart attack
• Hiatus hernia
• Glaucoma
• Stroke
• Hives
• Asthma
• Ulcers
• Migraines
• Low back pain
• Psoriasis
• Shortened life expectancy

Only The Lonely

In addition to thousands of anger and stress studies, many health studies have also connected anger to loneliness, chronic anxiety, depression, eating disorders, sleep disorders, obsessive-compulsive behavior and phobias. Anger can also have a detrimental effect on our relationships and threaten the development and maintenance of intimate relationships.

Communication is the key to learning how to handle our anger and creating healthy and fulfilling relationships.

Learning how to communicate does not have to be complicated. While most of us have developed communication skills from our families and environment, there are easy-to-learn, proven skills that can provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to be able to channel and express your anger or hurt feelings appropriately.

When we are embracing our feelings (be they sadness, frustration or anger), we feel more in control of our lives and able to create the type of relationships we want with others.

Communication Holds The Key

Current research has clearly shown that it is healthier to express and resolve our relationship issues than it is to hold them in and allow them to make us ill or to cause conflicts at work or home or with friends and colleagues.

As a researcher, I have participated in many years of studies on a model of communication that has been proven to work in all types of environments with all types of relationships. You can read more about it and download a free Chapter 1 excerpt from the book by going to www.changingbehavior.org. You can also get the book for free at that site if you are a Kindle Prime member by typing in Changing Behavior: Immediately Transform Your Relationships with Easy to Learn, Proven Communication Skills.

Explore our Whole Health Training Programs.