Releasing Anger from the Body
Anger is a healthy emotion when it is expressed in a manner which is its purpose. Anger lets us know something is not working in our lives and has the energy within it to create movement towards what will work better for us. Unfortunately we live in a society which does not often teach us how to express our anger so we often stop the movement. When we stop the flow of our anger it can get stuck in our bodies. Being able to safely express or release the anger from our bodies allows for the energy within us to move freely again.
As the differences amongst us have become more visible and pronounced our frustration and anger has risen. Even when we have compassion for another we can still have pent up feelings that get stuck in our body. Our body holds the unexpressed with tension as tight shoulders, back pain or pain anywhere in the body, rigidity or constriction in our abdomen. Held anger could be causing you harm either mentally, emotionally, physically or a combination of the all three.
This blog is going to provide you with a list of ways to safely release your anger and frustration.
A special note on rage. Rage is built up anger. Rage occurs from avoiding our anger and then sparking when our body is full - like a pot on the stove boiling over. So, releasing our anger on a regular basis by exercise, doing the releasing exercises and communicating our needs and boundaries with others prevents the rage from building up.
When releasing anger from your body it is important you are not directing your anger at another. If you are angry at a specific person, situation or ideology, set an intention prior to starting the exercise which addresses your need to let go of that which is no longer serving you, solves the conflict or supports some form of resolution.
While doing the releasing exercises you can consider the situation and different perspectives from the place of observation versus reliving the conflict and getting embroiled in the affect.
The goal is for you to release the held perspective which is causing tension in your body so there is space for new understanding, ideas or compromise.
Or, you can simply let go of your thoughts and allow the tension to express itself until the tension is released and new energy flows into the once constricted space.
For any of the actions choose a safe location where you are not going to harm anyone with what you are doing.
Ways to Release your Anger:
Scream
into a pillow
while doing with your car radio on
silently scream
Throw or Toss
toss a pillow
throw a ball - with another person, a pet or against a wall
throw or skip a stone in the water
throw a dart at a dart board
Twist
take a towel from both ends and wring it
while wringing the towel make a sound - scream, grunt, grrr, etc.
Snap
take one end of a towel, wet or dry, and spin the towel so it twirls up; flick your wrist so the towel shots out forward causing the towel to snap
please do not direct the towel at a person, especially if the towel is wet as you will hurt person; choose an object like the floor, wall, sofa, etc
Squeeze
squeeze a stress ball
hug/squeeze a stuffed toy
Bounce
a ball of any size
Hit
hit a ball using a baseball bat, stick or your hand
hit a pillow using a rolling pin, stick, wooden spoon, your hand or a towel
Pull
pull a plastic stretchy toy, plasticine, play doh, clay
Break
an unwanted object, old plate, glass, etc
being careful not to harm yourself or others in the process or while cleaning up
Clean
releasing pent up tension and/or resolving an issue while doing a deep clean of your house, backyard, closet, cupboard, garage
Exercise
lifting weights
walk or hike
swim
yoga
qigong
tai chi
cycle
basketball
volleyball
Keep doing the release of your choice until you feel tired, the tension releases from your body or a new decision or choice becomes clear which allows you to move forward instead of staying stuck.
Take the time to journal write or quiet time to reflect on the new perspective. How can you allow the new to flow more fully in your life? Do you need to speak your truth to someone? Do you have more clarity about why the issue is important to you so you can stay true to yourself, yet be flexible to the choices of others? And how can you be more conscious of the role anger plays for you in guiding you to care for yourself in a healthy manner?
Anger can be your guide to creating a healthier you. Are you ready to listen?