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‍July '26, Issue 1

‍Dear Visitor,

‍We tend to think of anger as purely emotional, or even as a character flaw. But this ‘hot’ emotion often has a physical component too.

And this is something that surprises many people, even those who work with grief.

Some of us are simply born with more inner fire. In Ayurveda, that fire energy is called Pitta. People who are Pitta-dominant often feel hot more easily, sweat more, and may be more prone to softer stools, acid reflux, or inflammatory skin issues.

But that same heat can also affect the mind.

It can make someone more prone to frustration, irritability, sharp words, or anger outbursts.

And with another heat wave arriving tomorrow, today felt like the perfect time to explore the connection between heat, anger, and grief.

Because when the outside temperature rises, some of us may notice that our inner “temperature” rises too.

‍How grief fans the flames

Grief can amplify this internal heat.

It raises Vata - the mobile, changeable “air” energy - and, as everyone knows, air fans fire. This can make existing heat stronger, more unstable, and harder to contain.

So even if you’ve never seen yourself as an angry person, grief can push that inner fire out of balance.

‍When heat meets heat

Now picture this:

Someone who already runs warm, carrying grief, and then adding even more heat through summer weather, a hot climate, or certain food and lifestyle choices:

Coffee. Alcohol. Spicy meals. Irregular eating. Lying for hours in direct sun. Pushing through intense exercise in the hottest part of the day.

Each of these can add fuel to a system already under strain, making anger more likely to erupt, often seemingly out of nowhere.

Not because you’re “bad at grieving”.

But because the body and mind are never separate. And like increases like - according to Ayurveda.

This is the part so many people miss.

‍It isn't just what's in the glass

Some everyday foods - even a few we often think of as healthy - can quietly feed the same internal heat, showing up not only as irritability, but also as digestive flare-ups, skin issues, inflammation, or restless sleep.

I've written more about why this happens in my BrainZ Magazine article on Beyond Emotions – How Food & Lifestyle Choices Can Fuel Anger In Grief.

But don’t just take my word for it.

Below is a simple overview of some of the foods and drinks that can aggravate Pitta according to Ayurveda.

If you recognise several of them in your own diet, try reducing or eliminating one or two for a week or two and notice whether you feel any different.

‍Cooling the fire

The good news? Ayurveda teaches us that opposites create balance.

Cooling foods. Regular meals. Steady hydration (without ice). Gentle movement during the cooler parts of the day.

These small shifts can help bring that fire back into balance.

‍A different way of understanding anger in grief

So if you’ve lost someone and you’re finding yourself more short-fused or irritable this summer, this is what I most want you to know:

Your anger may not simply be emotional.

It may be a tired, grieving body carrying more heat than it can comfortably hold.

And when we understand that, we can begin to work with it differently.

‍Want to find out more?

If you’d like to understand your own body-mind constitution, and what may be driving your current imbalances alongside grief, I offer comprehensive health assessments to help uncover the right nutrition, supplement, and lifestyle changes for you.

You can find more information about these assessments here.

Not quite ready for a health assessment?

Final reminder

I'd also love to invite you to my free interactive workshop tomorrow, from 7-8pm, where we'll explore the connection between food, grief and emotional wellbeing together and how simple nutrition and lifestyle changes can help you cope better with grief.

It’s always lovely to see people leave the session with practical ideas and a clearer sense of the first small changes they can make.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of you there!

Warm wishes,

Sabine

‍Sabine Horner
77 Millfield Lane
York YO10 3AW
United Kingdom

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