Anger, despite its negative connotations, is not a bad thing. Like all emotions, it is a natural part of being human and one of the first things we get to experience – there’s a reason it’s one of the core five pictured in Inside Out, right? Often, it comes from frustration or fear, but regardless of its origin, it is important to know how to cope with it in a healthy manner.
Unchecked, it can become a major problem that affects your relationships, your mental health, and can even turn violent. Learning how to express anger safely and let go of the intense energy behind the feeling is paramount to regulating your emotions. If you’ve been experiencing your anger bubbling under the surface, here are three things you can do when meditation and journaling simply aren’t cutting it.
Break something (safely)
Who hasn’t had the urge to throw or break something in a rage? Feeling destructive isn’t harmful as long as it isn’t directed at or done in front of other people, but there are ways of dealing with it that don’t involve destroying your belongings. If you can afford to, you can make an outing of it by going to a local rage room, but spending money is not necessary.
Instead, you can go outside and throw rocks or a ball until you tire yourself out, or something like a pillow at a wall if you don’t have access to a yard. Not working? If you crave the relief of smashing something, get a bowl of ice and throw it – either outside or in your shower – until you feel better.
Scream really loud
There are often moments when screaming your head out feels like the only way of getting rid of all that negative emotion. If you feel like that might be helpful in a moment of anger, go for it — just be mindful of anyone nearby. Some ways to do that include using a pillow or cushion to muffle the sound, going into your car with all the windows rolled up (if you’re at work, for instance), or even driving to an empty field or deserted beach where you can scream to your heart’s content.
Sing or dance it out
Anger is a high-energy emotion, and it can often be dealt with (or at least curbed) by expending it on something else. Putting on a good playlist of rage songs to sing and dance to is a fun way of letting yourself feel and spend that excess energy without harm.
Spotify has a generated a rage mix, but you can create your own or find something to your taste by looking up keywords like “angry,” “rage,” “frustration,” “songs to scream to,” and so on. Give it a try next time and see if it works for you!
And as a bonus tip, laughter really is often the best medicine. You may start giggling at yourself after doing any of these things since they can feel a bit silly, but if not and the negative feelings persist, give laughter yoga a try. It may surprise you how well it works — and give you another way to cope when you start to feel angry.