The 5 Steps To Mindfully Releasing Anger 💡 (Psychology Today)
Good day, my lovely Cupsters 🪔✨️ Thank you for your interest in yet another topic with me, particularly on mindfully releasing anger.
Our emotions are a normal and valid part of the human experience. Happiness, sadness, and anger just to name a few. Today, in particular, we will discuss anger and healthy ways in which we can progress positively past this.
Past anger, grudges, resentment, pent-up hatred, the inability to forgive, or anything that has left you feeling unable to move forward into a healthier and happier mindset are heavy burdens that we can safely detach from. You and your health are worth much more than that of what's being held on to.
Your health may be negatively impacted by the people and events you haven't moved past, and you may act out your resentment on genuine people who love and support you. However, since they are merely feelings, we can control them and expose the new facts that support our onward progress.
Andrea Brandt Ph.D. M.F.T., the author of "The Five Steps To Mindfully Releasing Anger", has highlighted 5 key steps to mindfully releasing anger that I'd humbly love to share with you all. The author describes these steps as "tools to help you wash away anger and hurt feelings".
The objective is to put an end to those septic feelings once and for all by letting go of that toxicity in a healthy and meaningful way:
✨️ Step 1, "Get your anger percolating." The author suggests high level physical activity that will stir up or even channel that energy and emotion, and then focusing on your breathing. By focusing on your breath, your awareness of it also helps you relax and experience the feelings, thoughts, and other internal processes that inform you of what is going on with you.
✨️ Step 2, "Move your feelings out through writing." The author informs us of the key channels we all have for releasing emotional energy from the body, our hands being one. Therefore, writing is one technique that can be very useful in releasing emotional energy. Utilizing this technique also minimizes the harmful emotional spillover that can be occurring in many areas of your life.
✨️ Step 3, "Share your story." As you all know, 7 Cups includes various ways to share your story whether through forum discussion, group support chat chat sessions, or connecting with an active Listener as just a few options our online platform offers. Connecting with individuals who share the same experience not only helps you realize you are not alone, but changes your viewpoint from one of self-criticism to one of self-acceptance.
✨️ Step 4, "Find your new truth.": "Beliefs that are formed in response to an injury are always limiting, and hinder us in getting what we really want in life." - Andrea Brandt Ph.D. M.F.T. The author uses the example of when children experience a trauma or an attachment wound (along with hurt feelings from it). In order to understand what occurred and cope, they form a belief and create themselves a story about it. This defense mechanism is limiting, and based primarily in fear. This step is intended to make things right. Finding a new reality for oneself is the goal; this new truth should counteract and replace the limiting belief.
✨️ Step 5, "Perform a release ceremony.": One of my personal favorite steps, involves an actual physical release to represent the emotional release. Throwing rocks in a safe place, or in a space where you can physically shake your limbs to represent the release of emotion. I personally enjoy this activity out in nature. Use your imagination and creativity to personalize your own release ceremony. The ability of the body and mind to distinguish between reality and imagination has been demonstrated, thus both are valid.
All of these actions are tools to assist you in removing the resentment and hurt feelings that everyone of us experiences as we go through life. Keep in mind that we must confront and interact with our toxic emotions if we are to free ourselves of them.
Reflection Questions:
I invite you to answer, whether here and with yourself, the following reflection questions based on the steps shared here today:
1) Which step to mindfully releasing anger are you the most receptive to trying for yourself?
2) Are there any other creative and healthy ways you have used to mindfully releasing your anger?
3) Reflect on the personal benefits that are gained when we release our anger, and the importance of this release being healthy and done with mindfulness.
Still feel unable to mindfully release anger? That's completely understandable. I invite you to check out a follow-up article titled 3 Ways To Overcome "Problem Anger" to provide ease and guidance during this process.
In this article, the author highlights "problem anger" as:
• "That which makes you act against your long-term best interest or keeps you from acting in your long-term best interest." - Steven Stosny, Ph.D.
• "Problem Anger" implicitly violates our personal values.
• When we're angry we cannot effectively perceive different viewpoints, aside from our desire or natural tendency to minimize them.
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@SirenOfSerenity
I was horribly abused by my mother growing up. I'm happy to say that I broke the cycle with my own children, but I struggled long and hard with the hurt, and maybe some anger too. But recently I've found a way to remake the whole experience - a way to now look at the experience in a more positive. life affirming way......
I believe we are all put here on Earth as humans to learn something deeply profound for us each, individually. I think my mother's and my lesson may have had something to do with how important love really is to the Universe. By not having it - by being told by my mother that she actually hated me more than once (and was obvious to me she meant it) - it clearly rips down to the soul as far as how deep that hurt can go, and how desolate the resulting feelings can be.
I believe we are all energy. Energy can not be destroyed. It always is present somewhere. We are energy. When we die we go back to where we were before we came here. That's what I now believe. Where my mother is now, she is totally different than what she was here on Earth. She may have had an injury or something else that made her so loveless and violent toward me. It's over now. Over for me and over for her. She is now in an atmosphere of pure love, pure forgiveness, and eternal knowing.
I believe she is deeply sorry for how she treated me and now, she has a pure love for me that nothing will ever destroy. I find this so amazing and healing at times goose-pimples swim over my skin. I am thankful to a loving Universe that we can't see but is absolutely there. It's taken me over 60 years to finally come to this release of my pain. I am so grateful for this realization. This life is not the whole story...
Yes, I did forgive my - headstrong, outspoken, mother in person here on Earth before she passed. That is a very amazing, interesting and spiritual story all on it's own. Maybe I'll share it here somewhere, sometime. It's one of my best life-time memories.
Thank you so much SirenOfSerenity, for this thread so that I could share my own personal truth story.
Congrats on going through the program..... I'm thinking about going through it too.
Hi @EmbStitcher33! 💙
Its extremely inspirational that you took that hard part of your upbringing and made sure you didn't let the affects spill into your own parenting. You took the relationship from with your mother and really extracted profound wisdom from it. That takes a lot of strength and I commend you for your courage in sharing this, it will give hope and encouragement to anyone determined to live their life healthier than the experiences they went through. I also agree with your views on us being Energy. I'm very happy you were able to receive that personal closure and understanding with her both on Earth and as she has passed on into "Energy" 🦋💙 You gained alot of spiritual clarity during her passing which sounds very liberating for you at the end of the day. I appreciate you sharing your experience.
Also, the program is really helpful for professional writing skills and graphic design both on and off of 7 cups! Highly recommended
You know it does nothing
Hi @considerateMoon9060, are you referring to the steps shared today? Which steps have you found the most challenging?
They are not challenging, but they have zero impact
@considerateMoon9060
I understand, anger is one of the most difficult to move past. I appreciate the time you took to examine the steps and it's good that they are not a challenge to try. I invite you to read the second article provided as well 🥰 All of our paths have different experiences, so it's always welcoming to create your own mindful steps.
It's not "difficult", I have no problem controlling my anger
@considerateMoon9060 That's very relieving to hear 😌 it's a pleasure to have you here, I appreciate the effort I've seen you put into being active in the forums. I hope that areas of 7 cups are of good support and comfort for you.
Get away from me already
- Maybe writing things down and the release ceremony.
- First, step away from the situation that is making me mad and take time to myself. Being alone except when it comes to the following: venting to listeners and venting in group chats. Finding stuff to do and being productive. Eating good food because that makes me happy and gives me energy. It helps me in dealing with anger.
- A benefit of releasing anger in a healthy and mindful way is preventing yourself from expelling anger in an unhealthy and hurtful way. An example of an unhealthy and hurtful way of expelling anger is lashing out at your surroundings. For example, yelling at people. It hurts you and the people you care about.
@dapperJar8756
Amazing answers! It sounds like you do very well with self discipline towards keeping your anger at ease and I'm glad you feel enough comfort to vent in the group support or 1-1 chats
Thank you. When I don’t have so much on my plate, I am a laidback person. However, I have been going through a lot and that has lead to intense anger at times. That is new to me. So, I think this article and these methods will be very helpful. This app in general has been really helpful.
@dapperJar8756 I'm immensely glad you've been finding personal relief and comfort here 💙 Anger is one of the topics I didn't see covered most, I want to share any helpful resources I come across when it comes to it.
Great stuff. Subscribed.
Thanks @LostTurtle22! 🧁🧁
