Many heart patients feel angry and upset about what’s happened to them. But frequent or extreme anger can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to rise, and make your heart work harder. Sometimes anger also causes angina (chest pain) because vessels constrict (narrow), reducing blood and oxygen to the heart.

Anger is a problem when you often:

• Lose your temper.
• Feel rage at people who are in your way in daily situations, such as at work, in traffic or waiting in line.
• Feel that people around you aren't skilled or useful.
• Don't trust the people around you.

If you aren’t sure if you have these traits, ask someone who knows you well. Many people aren’t aware they're often angry, or they deny it's a problem.

If you have problems with anger and hostility, you can get help. Try these tips, or ask your healthcare professionals about anger or stress management programs in your community.

Tips

• Keep an anger journal. Write down the people and situations that make you angry. Also write down how you react and what feelings are behind the anger. For example, are you feeling afraid? Rejected? Helpless? Learn to recognize when these feelings are triggering an angry reaction.
• Be understanding. Put yourself in another person’s place and view the person with care and concern. Use self talk to help yourself.
• When things heat up, call a “timeout.” Step back from the situation, take several deep breaths and calm yourself down. You may need to move away from the situation before you can handle it.
• Control how you react physically. Try not to curse, sigh, speak loudly, shake your fist or point your finger.
• When you feel angry, use a three-step approach: stop, ask yourself questions, then react. The first question is:  “Would a jury of people think I should be angry?” If the jury says “yes,” ask yourself, “Is this a situation I need to fix, and can I fix it?” If you decide you must fix the situation, wait until you cool off, then take action.

This content is reviewed regularly. Last updated 01/09/09.