The last few months have fueled a lot of anger in people. Any time I open my social media or the news I’m inundated with things that are happening in and around the world that are making me, and many others, feel angry.
I used to think that anger was a bad thing, that I should walk around being peaceful and content all of the time. It wasn’t until a somatic therapist challenged me on this idea that I realized it is important to pay attention to our anger.
The therapist wisely shared with me that when we feel the fire of anger in our body it is usually highlighting something we should pay attention to. It could be that a boundary was crossed or that someone said or did something that you don’t agree with. It could be that someone treated you unfairly or in a way that goes against your values.
From a somatic perspective anger is the fight response being activated. When this stress response kicks in we feel the flow of adrenaline and cortisol in our body. This gives us the fuel and strength needed to fight for what we believe is right.
Unfortunately we often react to anger instead of consciously responding to it in a way that is in our highest good. If we instead use our anger mindfully we can benefit from communicating our needs, sharing our thoughts and beliefs and expressing our boundaries. If we can use our anger consciously we can share in a way that others might be able to hear and respond mindfully to as well.
Energy teacher Lee Harris suggests asking yourself, “How am I communicating how I feel? Is the wound doing the talking or is my higher self translating the message with awareness and compassion?”. Oftentimes the wound takes over and is reacting to feeling hurt by projecting that hurt right back out into the world.
It’s Okay to be angry. It’s healthy, even. How we use our anger is what is important. If we walk around with boundless anger and are lashing out constantly at others we will likely be met with the same. If we instead learn how to consciously communicate how we are feeling, we can transmute our anger in a way that is helpful to ourselves, others and society at large.
Instead of pushing your anger away and ignoring it, get curious about why it’s showing up. Once we have awareness of the root cause we can soothe ourselves and then consciously choose how we want to respond to it. The rise of collective anger isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can inspire work towards change, if used in the right way.
By Nicole Lovald, LMFT, E-RYT
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