Get to the heart of anger’s detriments
A Boston news station’s poll found that folks are feeling chronically angry about almost everything these days. The problem with that, as Mark Twain once said, is that “anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
Your blood vessels are damaged by chronic anger — and even a brief flare changes the way they function. A new National Institutes of Health-funded study shows that anger reduces blood vessels’ ability to dilate and that can lead to long-term damage that increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.
The good news? Anger management techniques can not only make relationships with those around you run more smoothly, but they can also help you prevent heart disease. We have long advocated mindful meditation for 10 minutes in the morning and evening. Regular physical exercise also dispels stress and anger, as does cultivating a posse of supportive pals and finding a purpose that inspires you.
What you eat also influences mood. Harvard Medical School says that studies show that Mediterranean and traditional Japanese diets reduce your risk of depression by 25 percent to 35 percent compared with eating a typical American diet. And a new study in Nature Mental Health says there is a profound connection between a healthy diet and a healthy mental state.
On move, in groove
When you’re young, life should be filled with exuberant playing. Sadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says less than 25 percent of kids ages 6 to 17 get even 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
That takes a toll on young folks’ muscles and memory, scholarship and socializing, and health and happiness. And a new study confirms the big impact that the lack of physical fitness can have on kids’ mental health.
The study in JAMA Pediatrics looked at data on almost 2 million kids and found that those who were the least fit experienced more anxiety and depression. They also had poorer cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular endurance and muscular power, which contributed to poorer mental health.
That followed a study in Mental Health and Physical Activity that found that when 11-year-olds got higher levels of moderate or intense physical activity, they experienced less hyperactivity and behavior problems over the next two years.