I get angry when I feel physical pain.

Inquiry I get angry when I feel physical pain Jarsnofski 01 02 18

Jarsnofski wrote:I don't know what it is, but when I stub my toe or something that hurts I get super angry to where I want to flip everything in the house or maybe physically hurt myself even more. If anyone knows what this is or has a solution to help me cope with the pain let me know.

Happy New Year, Jarsnofski. Yeah, you are having a huge Cortisol Stress Reaction. When a Person feels under attack or threatened then one of the brain's glands releases Cortisol which is a very powerful stimulant which turns the volume way up on our Animal Nature while diverting resources away from the Higher Human functions which allow us to behave reasonably. Usually Cortisol is triggered in Angry People by social slights, insults, frustrations, job or relationship stress, but in your case apparently being injured makes you feel like a Wounded Animal Fighting for Its Life.

We can deal with that. Yes, the Cortisol Gland is an unconscious mechanism which is releasing Cortisol sometimes up to 3 or 4 seconds before we realize we shouldn’t be getting angry about it. Besides, if the Cortisol was flowing that long, a whole 3 or 4 seconds, it would be likely that you would already be too wild and crazy to calm down voluntarily – out of control, as they say. BUT, there is a trick for turning off the Cortisol Reflex. It seems that the Very First Thing that happens when the Cortisol begins to flow is that the Jaw Muscles Tighten Up – you Clench Your Teeth. The next time you stub your toe, see if what I am saying isn’t true, that the Very First Thing that happens is your Mouth Tenses Up. TO TURN OFF THE CORTISOL YOU ONLY HAVE TO RELAX YOUR JAW MUSCLES. That sends a Message to the Gland that whatever it thought was the Big Emergency was just a false alarm, and the Cortisol flow will immediately stop before it is too much to deal with. Remember, you can’t wait and think about. The Very Instant that your Jaw Muscles Tense Up, you need to Relax them at that very moment, in the same Split Second. Its easy, after you get some practice at it. It works for me, and a lot of other people who have written in. For instance, my cats are all the time doing stuff to annoy me, but I have learned to immediately relax my jaw muscles as soon as they tense up, and so I’m never yelling at my cats anymore.

The trick works with everything else too. Whatever upsets you, you will realize that you never cuss and swear and make a big scene without first noticing tension in your mouth and jaw muscles. Keep your mouth relaxed and you will be the most calm and peaceful guy on earth.

me too,I get really angry.

aaronstraine wrote:me too,I get really angry.

Hi, Aaronstraine, this is Leo. I field most every Inquiry that comes in, and I try to give a good brief though complete presentation of how each person writing in can address their Anger Issues using Techniques and Methodologies that are current in the more reputable Anger Management Literatures. So, if you have Anger Issues yourself, maybe you would benefit by reading through some of these Threads, until it all starts sounding the same to you. Of course, the Forum has other very insightful Helpers offering advise, and so you can be sure to get a full spectrum of advice.

I relate hardcore to getting angry at physical pain.
I have chronic pain issues. It's inconvenient to say the least.
One thing that's really helped me is something that sounds really dumb. If it's sudden pain (such as stubbing your toe), it's instinct to swear, I think. I've trained myself to take a sharp intake of breath instead. This reminds me to commence deep breathing. It doesn't have to be "calm" deep breathing, because it probably won't be knowing me. But training yourself to breathe in reaction instead of shouting in reaction is really good.
How to train youself:
Every time you have sudden pain (like stubbing your toe, crashing into something, etc.), take a sharp inhale. Even if you've already sworn/shouted for a while, that's okay. Just take a sharp inhale after that. Then a sharp exhale. Repeat until your breathing isn't sharp.
I don't know, it sounds easier than it actually is. But it helps if you can train yourself to do this!

xander wrote:I relate hardcore to getting angry at physical pain.
I have chronic pain issues. It's inconvenient to say the least.
One thing that's really helped me is something that sounds really dumb. If it's sudden pain (such as stubbing your toe), it's instinct to swear, I think. I've trained myself to take a sharp intake of breath instead. This reminds me to commence deep breathing. It doesn't have to be "calm" deep breathing, because it probably won't be knowing me. But training yourself to breathe in reaction instead of shouting in reaction is really good.
How to train youself:
Every time you have sudden pain (like stubbing your toe, crashing into something, etc.), take a sharp inhale. Even if you've already sworn/shouted for a while, that's okay. Just take a sharp inhale after that. Then a sharp exhale. Repeat until your breathing isn't sharp.
I don't know, it sounds easier than it actually is. But it helps if you can train yourself to do this!

Hi Xander,

yes, if the pain is sharp enough, the Brain will totally revert to Primal and away from the Higher and Outer Lobes altogether, that is, you wouldn't be able to Say or Think in terms of Words even if you wanted to. It takes Higher Functioning to Think and Speak in Words. Yes, Cuss words and Grunts are on the way down to the more Primal Areas of the Brain. When you start swearing, you are definitely descending the Evolutionary Ladder.

I remember decades ago when I really smashed my left thumb with a hammer, accidentally of course. that is what happens when you do on the job training as a framer. the only thing worse is to do on the job training in a restaurant doing 'prep' -- there, instead of a hammer you have razor sharp knives. People lose fingers for the rest of their lives for friggin minimum wage! But, back on subject, the pain from smashing my thumb was so blinding that I was quite speechless for a long while. And my Deep Breathing was in gasps.

Oh, by the way, as much as I have repeatedly say that the use of Swear Words only intensifies Anger, in regards to simply dealing with Pain, well, it has been shown in Clinical Studies that Cussing Through Pain is the Best Releaser of Dopamine, and Dopamine significantly aids in reducing the discomfort of severe pain. And reacting to pain is not the same as being angry. Pain can even happen to a Saint.

I do not believe very many people are Fired from their jobs for swearing when a truck runs over their foot, or their hand gets caught in a slamming hatch (but, yes, some Brainless Corporations are out there that have implemented Zero Tolerance Policies, mostly because the people who wear White Shirts are involved in almost Zero Percent of Industrial accidents).