You should try to avoid food that is excessive in toxins, unhealthy fats and refined sugar as these will put more stress on the liver, as the liver has to create more bile in order for the food to be digested. So in other words an overworked liver will directly affect how you are feeling. The liver is also mentioned in traditional Chinese medicine as being responsible for creating a harmonious and relaxed internal environment with the smooth disbursement of bodily fluids. Liver disharmony will basically disrupt your general well being in terms of mood and the function of the liver can be attributed to the sudden shift in emotions. Again due to poor diet, when the body is low in serotonin then the person can easily get angry. A temporary boost in serotonin and your mood level is that of antidepressants; however this is not seen as a long term solution especially when the anger is left undiagnosed. It is better that you examine the actual cause of your anger as it may have something to do with you being depressed, which will include on the way you are able to express your anger and how things might be different if you allowed yourself to do things differently. Sometimes due to hormone imbalance in the body, some people will experience both anger and depression especially for women that are going through perimenopause and menopause.
How anger is associated with hormones
Common symptoms of hormonal fluctuations include sudden irritability and mood swings and they can be caused by PMS, menopause, pregnancy, and perimenopause. Anger creates pro-inflammatory molecules in the body and the estrogen hormone has some anti-inflammatory qualities to it while the progesterone hormone has an overall calming effect on your body’s physiology. So when the progesterone and estrogen ration becomes erratic during the perimenopausal transition, most women would usually find themselves in a fit of rage. While for some other women they may experience testosterone imbalance or cortisol dominance that will contribute to them feeling hostile and anxious. And that is why many women will have their first real experience of anger while experiencing perimenopause and menopause. So this is why changing hormones will present a challenge to the endocrine system to adjust itself, just like the first time a young girl would experience her first period. With this sudden rush emotions, why not channel into something positive? As stated earlier it is in our nature to react when we scared or angry, so use the energy to fight for what you believe in and stand your ground. However make sure that the anger is channeled into something that is productive and not blind rage that will not serve any useful purpose.
How you can channel the anger
You can be for sure that people do not like to be around someone that is easily irritable or angry all the time; I will bet that you wouldn’t even want to be next to yourself if you always acted like that. People will start to ignore the person that always like that and not to mention that the anger that they express will stop to have any effect or power. These are not the results that you want, so in order that you are able to express your anger in a more positive way, you would first need to train your prefrontal cortex to do its job correctly. And this is to think before you act especially when you are always explosively and impulsively angry so that you can adjust the energy of your anger so that it will better serve your own needs.
The best way to deal with your anger is to first eliminate, if there exists any form of physiological underpinnings so that you have the energy and the resource to deal the emotional aspect of it. This will hopefully yield positive results so that you will not be stuck in the same place until you let your own anger consume you. So here are a few examples of what you can do to help you manage your anger. One of the things that you can do is to support your serotonin levels and hormonal balance with optimal nutrition. The supplements that you should take on a daily basis should have a quality omega-3 fatty acid as well as being rich in calcium and magnesium. On the other hand what you should reduce in your diet is simple sugars, damaged fats and processed foods. Replace it with foods that are rich in omega-3 and healthy fats such as extra-virgin olive oil. And take the progesterone hormone if the anger that you are experiencing is related to perimenopause and PMS, as it may help restore the ratio of the testosterone, estrogen and progesterone to a healthy level. It is not just about eating healthy, you should also support your liver by not over stressing. A detoxification program should do the trick, so take health supplements that have are able to cleanse the liver such as dandelions and milk thistle. And of course the number one thing that you should avoid especially when you are angry is that of alcohol as it will put even more strain on your liver.
Stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine will also be taxing but this time not on your liver instead it will be on your nervous system. You have to support your nervous system and the best way to do this is to again consume an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids such as the EPA and DHA which will assist in protecting the nerve cells. Another thing that you can do, which will prove quite useful is to track your anger pattern. Take note of when you will become irritable when you are under certain circumstances, during specific times in the month or after eating certain type of foods. So it is imperative that you learn how to spot, as these triggers can become very stressful on your body and most of all you will know how to avoid these specific triggers. This will make you think before you act and especially when you are angry and working on this technique may be hard at first but as they say practice makes perfect, so before you know it coping with your anger the next time around may be much easier than you thought.
When the moment actually comes, you should try to deal with it the best way that you can because once you have past the moment of eruption it will only be a matter of time before your head will start to clear up. There are a couple of techniques that you can try such as counting to ten, visualization, deep breathing, physically removing yourself from the source of your anger or even meditation. This may be easier said than done, however give it a couple of tries and see the results for yourself; you may even surprise yourself after you have analyzed the situation. A physical activity can also do wonders for your anger as well; this does not mean that you have to go to the gym. There are a variety of ways where you can be physical ranging form the silliest of activities such as climbing to a hilltop and screaming your head off, although climbing up would be physically challenging for some already or it can even be the most productive such cleaning out the garage that you always wanted to do but never gotten yourself to actually doing it. However, make sure that when you are doing this, it is done in a safe way that does not pose a danger to you or anyone around you. Speaking of doing physical activities, you can always try out something completely different that suits your own personality and situation. In other words try to be creative with how you want to manage your anger, whether it is you want to cook, sing, write poetry, dance, and so on.
After you have expressed your anger, you can try to voice out your opinion about it and sharing it with the people that will listen to you, so that you can analyze what had occurred. Talking always seems to make it easier to release all the pent up emotions but make sure that you are not directing the anger towards anyone. If you do not feel comfortable talking about your feelings with other people you always have the option of writing down what you are feeling at that particular time. It has the same mechanics as talking with another person as you will have the opportunity of revisiting the past to see what had actually transpired so that you are able to prevent it the next time around. Again the objective of looking into your emotions is so that you are able to channel those energies into something that you can apply into your daily life without making you feel guilty. And finally one of the most common things that most of us fail to do even when it comes to how we live our lives, which is asking for help. Do not be afraid to ask for help, as anger is a very complicated emotion that may have been building inside of you for many years already. You may even need the assistance of a professional to help you unravel the problems that are plaguing you, the point is you should never let your ego take control and brush aside this as a small matter until it is too late for you.
Anger is a double edged sword that heavily depends on how the user is willing to use it. So angry women can be destructive as a time bomb or they can utilize the energy and be productive. Whatever you do will all depend on you and how you choose to react when the situation arises because at the end of the day you are gambling with your health and if left unchecked ultimately your life.
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