Reimagining Anger as a Gift
Most humans learn early in their lives that anger is dangerous and to be avoided. What if we changed this thinking and were able to welcome the feeling as information, and even a gift?
Watch the video to learn more!
Video Transcript
0:03 – so this anger is a gift that lets me know there’s something i’m not okay with and
0:08 – if we can really start to pay attention to that hold the anger inside and let it
0:13 – really fill us it gives us information
Anger vs repressed emotions
0:16 – so anger so often is an emotion that many of us have learned is
0:22 – fundamentally not okay we learned in our childhood that we shouldn’t be angry or
0:28 – that we should repress our anger in certain ways for some people that was
0:32 – polite for others having family members who maybe acted out violently in the
0:37 – face of anger we learned to keep anger contained because there was never a
0:43 – separation between what anger is as a feeling separated from an action a
0:48 – violent act an aggressive act and so i think it’s so important that we
0:53 – destigmatize as we destigmatize mental health that we destigmatize our feelings
0:58 – as well because i would suggest that if
What happens if you’re emotionally repressed…
1:00 – we don’t allow for all the feelings that we have this is actually root cause for
1:05 – so many mental health conditions that if we aren’t allowed to feel anger we often
1:10 – will get anxious and we may turn it back on ourselves we may act out in certain
1:14 – ways we may actually even be more likely to be violent or irritable or aggressive
1:20 – if we repress the feeling of anger inside of our bodies and so let’s break
1:24 – this down a little bit because i would suggest that anger is a superpower
1:27 – through our limbic system
1. It keeps us safe
1:30 – the reptilian brain unconsciously we are consistently picking up data in our
1:36 – environment things that we like things that we don’t like things that we want
1:39 – to move towards and anger is the feeling inside our
1:44 – bodies that lets us know there’s something we don’t like in our
1:47 – environment this is imperative data for our nervous systems to then register
1:53 – consciously so that we can make a decision do i want to move towards this
1:57 – do i want to pull away from it do i want to set a boundary and so when my nervous
2:02 – system is fully activated and when i’m paying attention to all the data that
2:06 – comes up anger is just one piece of data that helps keep me safe because if
2:11 – someone is doing something that’s aggressive or dismissive or hurtful my
2:16 – amygdala in my limbic system is going to fire 200 milliseconds before my
2:22 – conscious mind my prefrontal cortex knows i’m angrier that’s frustrating or
2:27 – that’s annoying it’s a
2. Repressing it can hurt mental health
2:30 – hypersensitive system that allows me to protect myself and know that there’s
2:34 – danger or a threat in my environment gosh it would be awful if we had to
2:40 – shut that down and shut down from protecting ourselves and
2:44 – many of us learned to do this without even thinking about it as soon as those
2:48 – pre-conscious sensations of things of anger come up we shut them down
2:53 – often with anxiety and then we may blame ourselves well if i hadn’t done
2:59 – you know put myself in this situation or if i had prepared better or if i were
3:03 – just harder working this person wouldn’t be doing this to me
3:06 – it dismisses the feeling that we have
3. It can help us set relationship boundaries
3:09 – towards the other person where we may really need to set a boundary
3:13 – if i can’t know that someone is being egregious towards me or even annoying me
3:18 – i can’t advocate for myself i can’t set a boundary and i can’t take care of
3:23 – myself in a really healthy and protective way now i would suggest that
Why anger is misunderstood
3:26 – one of the main reasons that we learned to do this is because we or continue to
3:30 – do this is because we don’t separate out the feeling of anger in our bodies as a
3:35 – physiological response of heat in the chest jaw clenching
3:40 – energy and strength in the arms right all the sensations that come when we get
3:44 – angry we don’t separate that out from action and there is a huge gap between
3:50 – feeling heat in my chest or even clenching my fist and punching someone
3:55 – thank goodness for that prefrontal cortex that allows us to take in this
3:58 – data and then decide what to do with this information so this anger is a gift
4:03 – that lets me know there’s something i’m not okay with now
What to do when you recognize anger
4:07 – once i’ve registered that inside my body and i felt this feeling of anger i can
4:11 – decide what to do i may decide i’m somebody’s coming at me i do need to
4:15 – punch them right i may decide i’m not going to say anything right now i’m
4:19 – going to register this and just see what happens maybe i’m misinterpreting the
4:22 – situation i may decide to have a loving conversation to say hey i love you but
4:27 – what you’ve done is really hurt me and i’m frustrated and we need to have a
4:31 – conversation about this i can set a boundary sometimes i may make a joke to
4:34 – say did you really just say that right lots of different ways that we can
4:39 – navigate that feeling of anger that lets us know something is not okay and if we
4:44 – can really start to pay attention to that hold the anger inside and let it really
4:49 – fill us it gives us information i had a mentor who once told me that our feelings are
4:55 – often the light bulb helps see what’s really going on it’s not the only
5:00 – thing right we have to use our eyes we have to use our conscious mind to put
5:04 – all this data together to get clear how we want to operate
5:07 – but that feeling when we really let in and don’t shut it down don’t turn off
5:12 – the light we can really see what’s frustrating where we might want
5:16 – to set a boundary what we might want to say how we might want to take ourselves
5:19 – out of the situation it gives us a sense of understanding so that we can then
5:23 – have agency to take care of ourselves so again i would suggest that your anger is a gift
5:34 – [Music]
Anger is a complex and often misunderstood emotion. From a young age, many individuals are taught to view anger as something negative, dangerous, and to be avoided at all costs. However, what if we were to challenge this conventional thinking and reimagine anger as a gift—an opportunity for growth, self-awareness, and meaningful change?
At BOLD Health, we believe in exploring the transformative power of emotions, including anger. We invite you to watch our thought-provoking video where we delve into the concept of anger as a gift, shedding light on its potential to provide valuable information and serve as a catalyst for personal and collective transformation.
In the video, we encourage you to reconsider your perspective on anger. Rather than suppressing or dismissing this emotion, we invite you to embrace it as a vital source of information. Anger can act as an inner compass, signaling that something in our lives or the world around us is not aligned with our values or needs. By acknowledging and exploring anger, we gain valuable insights into ourselves and the situations that trigger this emotion.
When we recognize anger as a gift, we open ourselves up to a profound opportunity for self-reflection and personal growth. Instead of reacting impulsively or lashing out, we can use anger as a guide to delve deeper into our inner landscape, exploring the root causes and underlying feelings associated with our anger. By doing so, we gain a greater understanding of ourselves, our values, and our boundaries.
Moreover, embracing anger as a gift enables us to engage in constructive and empathetic communication with others. Rather than perpetuating conflict or distancing ourselves, we can approach difficult conversations with curiosity, seeking to understand the perspectives and experiences of those involved. This empathetic approach allows us to foster connection, find common ground, and work towards meaningful resolutions.
By reimagining anger as a gift, we tap into its potential to instigate positive change on a larger scale as well. Anger can fuel our passion for social justice, motivating us to stand up against injustice and advocate for equality and fairness. When channeled effectively, anger can become a catalyst for social transformation, inspiring us to take action, raise awareness, and work towards creating a more just and equitable society.
We invite you to watch the video to delve deeper into the concept of anger as a gift. Explore how this shift in perspective can empower you to embrace your emotions, gain self-awareness, nurture healthier relationships, and contribute to positive change in the world.
At BOLD Health, we are committed to supporting individuals in their journey towards emotional well-being and personal growth. By challenging societal norms and redefining our relationship with emotions such as anger, we can unlock our full potential, embrace authenticity, and cultivate resilience. Join us in embracing anger as a gift and transforming it into a powerful force for personal and collective transformation.
Watch the video today and discover the transformative power of reimagining anger as a gift. Together, let us embark on a journey of self-discovery, empathy, and positive change.