Many of us have heard about gratitude journaling and how it helps you recognise and appreciate all of the things you are grateful for, but what about the other thoughts racing through your brain that cause anxiety and stress. What if you are just plain angry?
Enter Rage Journaling.
Research suggests rage journaling can help you reduce stress, process emotions, and boost your well-being. It can help you honour and release pent up emotions, which could be a cathartic experience, according to experts at yourdaily.com. It can also help you avoid reacting out of emotion or starting unnecessary arguments.
Let’s face it, life does not always bring sunshine and rainbows. While it’s important to not lose sight of the positive aspects in your life, minimizing the ‘negative’ emotions that keep surfacing may have real consequences. Avoiding your feelings –– consciously or not –– can ultimately lead them to show up in negative ways such as high blood pressure, anxiety, strained relationships, and unhealthy coping strategies.
Rage journaling can be done in the heat of the moment when you’re trying to divert anger or as a daily practice to help you process emotions. Whenever you’re ready, you can start by following these steps:
Be honest, open, and uncensored about whatever’s bothering you. (Freewrite or answer questions such as, “Who was the last person to annoy you? And what did they do?” “Did anything frustrating happen at work today?” Let it all out without a filter!)
Read and reflect once you’re done. Did you notice or learn anything about yourself or the situations you wrote about?
Don’t share it with anyone! Store the journal entry in a private place.
Repeat every day or as needed.
Remember that rage writing can’t take the place of therapy or medication. If you have anger issues or a hard time managing your emotions, consider speaking with a therapist.
