Anger is an important emotion that has helped our species survive as long as it has. It is our early-warning system that tells us when we need to defend ourselves or someone else, and prepares our bodies for the fight. However, in our modern world's complex societies with modern social norms, anger can cause problems if not handled properly.

"Fight-or-flight" is the term we use in Psychology to describe the body's anger response, and in the early days of our species, it was as simple as that. Someone wanted to pick a fight with you, perhaps wanting to take your food. If they were weaker than you, you fought back, and if they were stronger, you ran away. Since those early days we have created complex societies with very complicated social expectations that must be observed. Imagine if, every time someone or something made you mad, you responded by either attacking the person or running full-tilt from the room like a maniac? At the very least, people would think you were a "weirdo"; at the worst you may find yourself locked up! Today, we use reason to regulate our bodies' survival mechanisms and to choose the socially appropriate response.

When we become angry, our body's "fight-or-flight" response (also known as the "sympathetic system") kicks in. Adrenaline is dumped into our blood, our heart-rate speeds up, pupils dilate, vision becomes very clear, blood is brought in from the extremities to the cardio-vascular system. Literally, your body is primed to either fight or run! This is an old system in the evolutionary scheme of things. The newest parts of our brains are those that deal with reason, restraint, logic, social appropriateness, and these will seem to be "over-ridden" or to go to sleep when we are angry. It is at this time that we are at risk of saying and doing things "without thinking" - things that, once out there, cannot be taken back. Often, people will later say things like they "didn't know what they were doing", they "blacked out", they "lost it", they "can't believe they said that", etc., and this is the reason for that.

This is where walking comes in. When you notice the beginning signs of an anger response, walking offers a socially-acceptable way to remove yourself from the situation, let the adrenaline wear off, and contemplate things. Removing yourself from the situation also prevents you from saying or doing anything that you may regret later. I will discuss in detail some of walking's many benefits for dealing with anger.

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