Wear your emotions on your sleeve

The bright sunny morning does nothing to lift your mood. In fact, the more you look towards the sun, the angrier you feel. Nothing new about that though "" this is how you feel everyday. If your anger, born of an amalgamation of negative feelings, dominates your personality, you might need training in anger management.

Anger is not an isolated feeling. It is related to sadness, failure and frustration ""personally and professionally. More often than not, it is not a reflection of attitude but of agony or depression. So, the concept of anger management by itself is only an entry point to emotional health.

Dr Harish Shetty, consultant psychiatrist at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, says, "The mind is like an orchestra and you need to experience all the ragas as and when they happen. Those who are in touch with their feelings, and can identify, acknowledge, experience and exhaust those feelings, have fewer explosions."Anger, he believes, is a normal feeling but can decay into hatred and hostility. So, it's important to acknowledge that you are angry and express it very discreetly instead of blocking out the feeling.

Blocking often results in intense hatred and hostility towards your environment. Anger turned inwards causes depression, hypertension, heart attacks and can lead to suicide, while anger turned outwards can hurt and humiliate those around you.

Though anger has deep-rooted causes, it is possible to manage your temper through a few simple, necessary changes in your lifestyle. If you work long hours, make sure you take mental breaks at regular intervals. Shetty points out that meals should be taken on time, especially if you suffer from hypertension or diabetes. Exercise is also very important. For most people exercise is a painful ritual that they "have to" follow but, actually, it should be perceived as a joyous ritual that they "want to" follow. The right approach can change the way you think and feel.

A healthy sleep cycle and good sex life, along with developing the ability to express anger promptly instead of bottling it all up, will go a long way in improving your metal outlook. However, if you are clinically depressed (say if you feel irritable, listless, aggressive and withdrawn for more than 15 days despite following the above suggestions) seek treatment from a psychiatrist. It will do you a world of good.