5 Sure-Fire Ways To Channel Your Rage In Healthy Ways

Those who are sensitives and empaths can easily feel the brunt of intense energies that are swirling about. But, recent energy has been so palpable, and we’ve all been finally given the “Go” signal by the Uni-verse, that even those who may not consider themselves sensitives, or empaths, are feeling quite overwhelmed by what’s been brewing.

What’s been going on, exactly? Powerful New Moons, Full Moons, and healing vortexes that have been opening since the beginning of January 1st. And, as of this week, we mark the last of the Pluto-Uranus squares (the next one won’t happen until 2046), which happens when the two planets form a 90-degree angle. It’s considered a harsh transit, one that started in 2012, where the power struggle of Pluto’s secrecy and control clashes with Uranus’ brashness. This means that things can get pretty intense and dramatic, and may even come to a head.

The result of all of this cosmic action?  Things moving quickly, and heating up tempers.

In fact, anger has been the name of the game this week.

In my previous blog post, “Why Anger Is Healthy“, I mention about anger:

“It creates boundaries, it announces that you are acknowledging your self worth, your passion, and the flow of anger is up and out.  It is yang in nature (in the yin/yang scheme of things), and therefore, is just part of life.  Because we also have other times when we are yin, and would prefer to regather our energy at home or in stillness.  And, that is necessary, too.  Anger can ignite creativity, and oftentimes it makes people think.  It can also create change, and can instill passion for people to stand up in what they believe in, especially when it comes to oppression in its various forms.  This is when the ignition of passion is necessary for awareness and change.”

So, anger certainly has it’s place as a human emotion that we experience. It can surface to serve a purpose.

But, what do you do when the anger and rage start to take a hold of you, ruins your day, makes you feel paralyzed, you ruminate over it so much that it affects your quality of life, or is so strong that you want to physically lash out – at yourself, or at others?

Here are 5 Sure-Fire Ways To Channel Your Rage In Healthy Ways:

1. Breathe. No matter how intense the emotions, one sure fire way to break the cycle is to take a full, deep inhale, through the nose, and exhale, and exhale, through the mouth. In fact, there’s a good counting mechanism you can do while breathing. There are many renditions of how many counts you should do, but I like the 4-4-8 method: inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 4, and exhale for a count of 8. That simple technique, when I remember to do it, always works for me. And the reason it does is because it resets the brain and forces it to slow down. Try it yourself, and see how effective it is!
2. Check yourself. Often when we are raging, it is because something the other person is doing is triggering you. And, when we are triggered, we are sucked into the primordial ooze of our old stories – operating from a place where we are actually retaliating against the original perpetrator (old classmate, mother, father, sibling, other relative, or an acquaintance or stranger) who overstepped their boundaries at one point in time, and energetically stabbed you in the heart, which hasn’t healed. Getting at the root of your trigger, and healing that pain, whether that be a betrayal, abuse, neglect, abandonment, guilt, or shame, is what then starts the salve of personal redemption. How to seal the deal? Forgive yourself for your participation in the matter, and forgive the other person. You don’t have to say it to their face, because forgiveness is energetic. Simply saying it to yourself is enough. Learn about the Ho’oponopono healing prayer for forgiveness in my post, “How Forgiveness Will Detox Your Liver This Spring“. Free your mind, and the rest will follow!
3. Get involved with physical activities where you make contact. I’m talking kickboxing, boxing, martial arts, or even just punching pillows at home. Punching the air will not do it. You need to hit something! It is extremely satisfying to release that kinetic energy into an inanimate object, and your Liver Qi will thank you! The Liver, in Chinese Medicine, is responsible for the free flow of Qi in the body. When this channel is blocked, physical and/or emotional pain often results. This often manifests are irritability, short temper, redness or flushing in the face, red eyes, headaches, neck or upper back/trapezius muscle pain or tension. Liver Qi Stagnation, as it’s called can be easily felt in the pulse as having a wiry quality, kind of like a bowstring striking up against your fingers when you palpate the pulse. It can also be seen in the tongue, most notably the sides, the region of the Liver and Gallbladder. If the sides are raised, and especially if they are also red, it is likely that your Liver Qi is not happy, and is in need of some soothing! Acupuncture is excellent for regulating and rebalancing Liver Qi flow. Physical activity helps it flow, too. And, if you’re pissed off and need an outlet, physical activities where you’re making contact are excellent venues to release anger!
4. Journal it. When you are feeling any type of strong emotion that you feel unable to emote, journaling works wonders. I’ve kept a journal since my first diary I’d received for my 2nd grade Holy Communion (complete with Sanrio Twin Stars on the cover). I have since lost count of how many I’ve gone through. But, it has been a priceless tool to vent. And, whether or not you are a writer, putting words and thoughts onto paper helps the brain unload all the proverbial toxic crap you’ve been holding in your head, giving it a space to be heard. One writing exercise that can be helpful when feeling rageful, is making a list of all the things  you’re angry about in one column. In the next column, write why it makes you angry. In the column after that, ask what empowering thing you can do to address it next time it happens, or what you can do about it now, if actionable steps still can be done. This way, you process it in your brain, and you soothe you heart with the reassurance that you will either be more prepared next time it happens, or that you did the best you could do. Because, when you ruminate about a negative experience over and over, it can be exhausting. So, even if you sleep well and eat well, if your brain never shuts down about the painful incident, to which you’ve given a lot of mental real estate, you will be wiped out on the daily. End that drama!
5. Step away to clear your head. Let’s say you’re at work, don’t have your kickboxing class until tomorrow, your journal is not on hand, and you forgot how to do the resetting breathing technique? Step away from the situation and take a break. Whether it be a walk around the block, or to the company bathroom, taking that moment so you don’t go ballistic on someone can be helpful to keeping your wits about you, honoring the space you need for what you’re feeling, and making sure you don’t get fired! Think the company bathroom stall is no place to comfortably release? Things you can do to take it down a notch, while being in the bathroom, are: steady, slow, deep inhale and exhale (if no one is there, upon exhale, release a “shhhh” sound, for greater effect), stretch towards the ceiling, and then drop at the waist, letting your upper body hang. If you like, while you’re down there, and if you have room, swing gently from one leg to the left. Finish off in the middle, and gently shake your shoulders, letting your arms follow in the movement as they dangle. Roll your spine up, vertebrae by vertebrae, until you’re standing straight up. That took a whole 4 minutes! Your coworkers, and boss, will be none the wiser.

What are you favorite ways to decompress when someone presses your buttons, or when you get rageful?
Let me know in the comments, below!

Rage and release,

 

 

 

 

 

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