Does Screaming Really Work?

Someone recently asked me how I deal with the intensity that anger can be. How do I truly let it go? 

I was happy he asked me in 2023 because if I would have had to field this question sometime in the past I would’ve stood and stared and then most likely been angry with myself for not having a solid answer. 🙂

Anger is a healthy emotion to feel. It lets us know that something is happening that we don’t like or need to pay attention to. This could lead us to taking some type of positive action like setting a boundary or speaking to someone in order to work something out. Often times these experiences bring us closer to ourselves and others.

But how often is handling anger this simple? Often times anger takes hold of us for hours, days and longer. It streams through our body siphoning our energy, creating a racing mind and clouding our ability to see and experience life properly. This is when we often times lash out against others or ourselves. 

So how do we feel anger in order to take note of a potential action to take and then allow it to move along? Here’s a list of my current strategies. Give them a shot and let me know which one worked for you.

SPECIAL UNDERSTANDINGS: 

There are two reasons to practice the art of releasing anger in a healthy way.

1. The obvious: you feel better and can see action steps more clearly. 

2: The magical: there is often a “gift” of information or realization hiding behind the emotion. Once you feel the anger has moved on take look. You’ll be amazed and what is seen, felt or experienced. 

THE TOOLS: 

1. Meditation: I have to state meditation first because having a daily meditation practice is a foundation for patience, compassion and awareness. And while my first go to, when releasing anger, isn’t to sit and close my eyes. Having the daily practice certainly supports the handling of all emotions. 
2. Screaming: Screaming can be helpful. If you live in a neighborhood and don’t want to freak people out get into your car and take a drive. It’s pretty easy to find roads in which nobody will hear you. KEY: When screaming you may have to take your attention to where the anger sits in your body first. It can be beneficial to allow the sound to come directly from that space. 
3. Chaotic dancing and movement: Again, take your attention into where the anger sits and let it guide or create movement in the body. Start small and then let it build into intense shaking, jumping and more. Just like screaming, see if you can allow the moment to be driven up and out of the anger in your body. 
4. Punching a pillow: Try punching a pillow. For some people using a tool like a bat or punching bag is needed. For me punching a pillow or using a bat doesn’t do it. However, for some reason a belt or thick rope does. There’s something about swinging a belt or rope into a pillow or my bed provides a nice release. 
5. My Favorite: Screaming by itself rarely works for me. However, intensely pushing, using my muscles, while letting out noise does the trick. Try standing in a door frame with your back against one side of the frame and push with your arms or a leg into the other side of the door frame. Really push and then allow the scream or yell to come out from the anger place in your body. So good!

We have to move out of the belief that we need to keep our emotions in. That it’s wrong to be angry and best to stuff it back inside. All this does is cause health problems or an accidental spewing onto the people we love most.