Processing Anger & Depression
Working with Powerful Emotions
7/7/20202 min read
In these intense times, it's worth it to make friends with the anger inside us all. Otherwise, it's too easy to be manipulated or scared by what's going on around us, without ever finding the clarity and power that lies underneath the surface.
The high side of anger is to slow reality down enough to find clarity and speak it — the low side is when it's used to punish the 'other.' When that power is disowned, it becomes depression.
Anger isn't the problem — not knowing how to relate to our anger is the problem, and we can see that reflected all across our world right now.
Anger is an essential emotion to understand, but it's widely shunned and misunderstood as "negative" or self-indulgent. The reality is more complex, so this video series explores the high side of anger, the low side of anger, and provides practical tools for working with it.
These concepts and tools will help people who habitually under-express anger, as well as those who habitually over-express anger. Anger is only poisonous if we let it build up inside or use it to punish. When anger is seen for what it is, it's then possible to express it in the moment and find a win-win.
"Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy." - Aristotle
Part 2 introduces two deep meditations for working with anger, designed to help you find the clarity within anger so that you can fully own your power. Power is the ability and willingness to respond. These meditations are geared to help you acknowledge your feelings, find the clarity within your anger, and live with integrity.
This practice will help you get comfortable with anger, and avoid the two biggest pitfalls around anger: letting it become poisonous by letting it build up inside or using it to punish other people.
Finally, part 3 is for anyone who has pent-up anger, who has been unfairly punished with anger, or who chronically over-expresses anger. In this 3 day process of writing & reviewing an Anger Letter, you will reverse habitual patterns of avoiding anger and experience a deep release because:
- you're creating a private space to release pent-up anger, and dive deeper into the feelings than is typically accepted in daily life
- you're not focused on grammar and punctuation, you're focused on getting the raw feeling out of your body, out through your arm, and onto the page
- rather than avoiding anger or skimming over it, you're acknowledging the anger for three days in a row and sending your subconscious a new signal of acknowledgment and acceptance
- it provides a time for reflection and release on day 3, where you can see through your habitual patterns and choose to let them go
Together, these three videos provide a powerful set of tools for healing anger and depression. If you benefit, please leave a comment and subscribe on YouTube!