Have you ever experienced unexplained sadness, tiredness or rage? Do you or someone you know have chronic pain that can't be medically explained? There could be specific reasons or it could be repressed anger.
We all have some repressed anger. This is anger that couldn't be expressed so was repressed and stored by the subconscious brain. Our brains love us and will do what ever they can to protect us. It becomes an issue when the amount of repressed anger causes psychological, emotional and/or physical illness.
When we are tired or ill we tend to eat high fat and high carboydrate diets because we crave comfort. Being tired, sore or ill also causes stress so our bodies release the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. When cortisol is released over longer periods it causes our bodies to store fat, especially on our tummy. In addition to this, our 'animal brain', the automatic part of our brain, identifies our emotions about our lack of energy and health as 'starvation' and this causes chemical changes that allow our bodies to store even more fat.
There are several ways that we can release some of this repressed anger. Writing letters to people who we believe have caused us an injustice is one way to release some of this anger. DO NOT SEND THE LETTER. The act of acknowledging who the person is and what they did (or didn't do) and how it affected you is the beginning of this process. Write it all down, in detail. The destroy the letter in some physical way, such as burning it, ripping it up or putting it through the shredder.
Being physically active is another way to release this anger. Project the feeling of anger about a certain event or the person related to the event towards an object such as a pillow or a punching bag. Hitting and screaming at the object can relieve the anger and related frustration and stress. Other physical activities can include running, swimming or dancing.
Relaxing in a soothing bath, taking a shower or having a massage can offer a different way to release this anger. Meditation and meditative exercise such as yoga and tai chi can be beneficial for some people.
To prevent anger builing up it is possible to be both loving and angry. Expressing anger in a safe and constructive way prevents further anger from being stored as repressed anger. You could say something such as "I love you and when you do this it makes me anger because .............". Then suggest that you sit down and work out a mutually beneficial solution.
For some people the side-effects of their repressed anger benefit from working with a professional because we can assist with additional techniques such as time line therapy which helps the person to change their emotions around a certain event.
Enjoy releasing some of your anger, both present and repressed, and learn how to demonstrate your anger in a safe way.
warmest wishes
Sarah
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