Based on The HeartMath Solution By Doc Childre & Howard Martin

Physiologically, it simply doesn't matter whether your anger is justified or not. The body doesn't make moral judgments about feelings; it just responds.

Resentment, anger, frustration, worry, disappointment—negative emotional states, justified or not, take a toll on your heart, brain and body. Don't let justified emotions rob your health and well-being.

So if we can't express it or repress it, what do we do when we feel angry? The answer is to recognize the anger, but choose to respond to the situation differently.

Easier said than done, right? Can you actually imagine trying to strong-arm your anger into another, more amicable feeling? It would never work.

Determination alone won't work. It takes a new intelligence to understand and manage our emotions.

By getting your head and heart in coherence and allowing the heart's intelligence to work for you, you can have a realistic chance of transforming your anger in a healthy way.

Often we think we won't take needed action, whether in a confrontation or in getting something important done, without being propelled by our anger.

While anger can give us a short burst of energy, until we manage the anger, we can't see what action would be best to take.

The information is simply not available. The emotions have short-circuited the pathway in the brain that helps us see the most appropriate action to take.

We all know people who say: "It's the principle of the matter" to justify sustaining toxic emotions for years. As they hold onto their anger or hurt, they bleed away their energy reserves, often ending up bitter and depressed.

When we consciously choose a core heart feeling over a negative feeling, we effectively intercept the physiological stress response that drains and damages our systems and allow the body's natural regenerative capacities to work for us.

Instead of being taxed and depleted, our mental and emotional systems are renewed. As a consequence, they are better able to ward off future "energy eaters" like stress, anxiety and anger before they take hold.

Learning to "just say no" to emotional reactions isn't repression. Saying no means not engaging the frustration, anger, judgment, or blame. Without engagement, you won't have anything to repress.

Don't hold to anger, hurt or pain. They steal your energy and keep you from love. Leo Buscaglia

and finally a Chinese Proverb If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. All designs are the work of Biswajit Pandey, photographer