At work, the anger we feel not only upsets us emotionally but has a deleterious effect on our physical body. It causes stress, which in turn contributes to stress-related ailments. This can affect us by increasing our risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, and other diseases.
It takes a great amount of strength to withstand the temptations to overcome anger. We may think the angry person is strong, but actually, they are succumbing out of weakness to their own temper. It takes one who is brave of heart to say no to anger.
If someone at work has hurt us, we can choose to forgive and forget or we can choose to retaliate. The choice is ours to make.
There is physical harm we do to ourselves when we are caught up in the opposite of forgiveness: anger, hatred, and vengeance. These feelings cause damage to the physical body.
Doctors and medical researchers are realizing that anger and hatred have detrimental effects on our bodies. Let us analyse the reason.
First, there are certain responses in the physical body designed to help protect itself to preserve the species. When a living creature senses danger, certain hormonal and chemical reactions within the body help it respond to danger. These hormones cause one to fight or take flight. They are useful for giving the body strength and quick physical responses, such as running or protecting one’s self. But if one interprets it as life-threatening problems of daily life that are not a threat to survival, then one is responding with the fight or flight hormones for no reason.
The result is that we do not see a need to flee or fight but feel threatened. This converts into anger or rage. Thus, we become angry over situations that don’t threaten our life. This causes the body to circulate hormones needed to run or protect one’s self over minor situations that are part of daily life. Because these hormones, such as cortisol, are circulating through us when we do not need them to, they end up causing damage to the physical body.
We know for example that real cortisone has side effects on the body, so doctors recommend them cautiously. However, the body’s natural cortisol when we are angry or under stress ends up circulating through us causing stress-related ailments. If one is continually in that state of fear, anger, or stress, those hormones cause a breakdown of other body tissues. This is what causes stress-related ailments such as digestive problems, headaches, heart problems, skin problems, and breathing problems.
The solution for protecting the body against the hormones released by hatred, anger, and vengeance is simple: forgiveness. It is only through forgiveness that we can calm ourselves down and avoid the reactions of hatred and violence. A majority of the time at our jobs we are responding to minor problems with the same intensity as if our lives were threatened. Think about all the things that make us angry. How many of them threaten our lives? How many are just minor annoyances?
We can learn how to stay calm at work by practising forgiveness when someone hurts us. In this way, we can protect our bodies from the damage of hormones released because of anger. We will see a reduction in stress-related ailments.
One of the keys is to let go. When we forgive and forget we are letting go of the past and what has happened. We are saying, “I forgive the person for what has happened. Then I am going to forget about it.” In this way, we are letting it go.
One technique to develop forgiveness so we can stay calm at work is meditation. The problems of life will not end. However, through meditation, we can focus our attention on the peace within so we can rise above life’s difficulties.
Through meditation, we are in touch with a place of calm within us that gives us the strength to forgive others, overcome anger, and stay calm at work. We cannot control others at our job, but we can control ourselves. At work, we can choose peace and calm which will help improve our physical and mental health and make for a happier life.
The author is the head of the Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission.